City comparison
Ann Arbor, MI is about 1,100 miles (1,800 km) from Austin, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,400 miles, or about 24 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) 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 Ann Arbor, MI to Austin, TX takes about 2 h 16 min, covering roughly 1,100 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.
Austin has a population of 958,202, vs 122,216 in Ann Arbor — about 7.8× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 28 sq mi for Ann Arbor.
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 | Ann Arbor | Austin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,472/mo | $1,549/mo | 5.2% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $416,500 | $461,500 | 10.8% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $78,546 | $86,556 | 10.2% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 94.2 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 97.6 | 83.2 | 17.3% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 96.6 | 2.8% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 96.1 | 3.5% higher in Ann Arbor |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Ann Arbor, you'd need $96,456 in Austin to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Austin, TX is about 3.5% cheaper overall than Ann Arbor, MI, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% higher in Ann Arbor than in Austin. If you earn $80,000 in Ann Arbor, you'd need about $77,165 in Austin to keep the same standard of living.