City comparison
Ankeny, IA is about 900 miles (1,400 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 Ankeny, IA to San Antonio, TX takes about 1 h 47 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 68,392 in Ankeny — about 21.1× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 32 sq mi for Ankeny.
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 | Ankeny | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,289/mo | $1,189/mo | 8.4% higher in Ankeny |
| Median home value | $281,700 | $198,000 | 42.3% higher in Ankeny |
| Median household income | $101,151 | $59,593 | 69.7% higher in Ankeny |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 94.2 | ≈ equal (San Antonio slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 85.2 | 83.3 | 2.3% higher in Ankeny |
| 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 Ankeny, you'd need $104,860 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ankeny, IA is about 4.6% cheaper overall than San Antonio, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 10% higher in San Antonio than in Ankeny. If you earn $80,000 in Ankeny, you'd need about $83,888 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.