City comparison
Ames, IA is about 900 miles (1,500 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,100 miles, or about 19 hours behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Ames, IA to San Antonio, TX takes about 1 h 49 min, covering roughly 900 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
San Antonio has a population of 1,445,662, vs 66,265 in Ames — about 21.8× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Ames.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Ames | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,011/mo | $1,189/mo | 17.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $198,000 | 25.0% higher in Ames |
| Median household income | $57,428 | $59,593 | 3.8% higher in San Antonio |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 94.2 | ≈ equal (San Antonio slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.8 | 83.3 | ≈ equal (Ames slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 93.3 | 96.6 | 3.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Healthcare index | 93.5 | 96.1 | 2.8% higher in San Antonio |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Ames, you'd need $113,678 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ames, IA is about 12% cheaper overall than San Antonio, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 35% higher in San Antonio than in Ames. If you earn $80,000 in Ames, you'd need about $90,942 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.