City comparison
Apple Valley, MN is about 1,000 miles (1,700 km) from Austin, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,300 miles, or about 21 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 Apple Valley, MN to Austin, TX takes about 2 h 3 min, covering roughly 1,000 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 55,594 in Apple Valley — about 17.2× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 17 sq mi for Apple Valley.
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 | Apple Valley | Austin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,607/mo | $1,549/mo | 3.7% higher in Apple Valley |
| Median home value | $333,300 | $461,500 | 38.5% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $97,588 | $86,556 | 12.7% higher in Apple Valley |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 94.2 | 8.8% higher in Apple Valley |
| Utilities index | 93.3 | 83.2 | 12.2% higher in Apple Valley |
| Transportation index | 103.7 | 96.6 | 7.4% higher in Apple Valley |
| Healthcare index | 103.9 | 96.1 | 8.1% higher in Apple Valley |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Apple Valley, you'd need $98,555 in Austin to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Austin, TX is about 1.4% cheaper overall than Apple Valley, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in Austin than in Apple Valley. If you earn $80,000 in Apple Valley, you'd need about $78,844 in Austin to keep the same standard of living.