City comparison
Ann Arbor, MI is about 1,100 miles (1,700 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,300 miles, or about 22 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 Houston, TX takes about 2 h 9 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.
Houston has a population of 2,296,253, vs 122,216 in Ann Arbor — about 18.8× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 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 | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,472/mo | $1,235/mo | 19.2% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Median home value | $416,500 | $235,000 | 77.2% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Median household income | $78,546 | $60,440 | 30.0% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Groceries index | 93.9 | 100.4 | 6.9% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 97.6 | 96.3 | 1.3% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Transportation index | 99.3 | 95.8 | 3.7% higher in Ann Arbor |
| Healthcare index | 99.5 | 95.2 | 4.6% 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 $91,756 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 8.2% cheaper overall than Ann Arbor, MI, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 20% higher in Ann Arbor than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Ann Arbor, you'd need about $73,405 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.