City comparison
Apple Valley, MN is about 1,000 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 Apple Valley, MN to Houston, TX takes about 2 h 5 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.
Houston has a population of 2,296,253, vs 55,594 in Apple Valley — about 41.3× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 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 | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,607/mo | $1,235/mo | 30.1% higher in Apple Valley |
| Median home value | $333,300 | $235,000 | 41.8% higher in Apple Valley |
| Median household income | $97,588 | $60,440 | 61.5% higher in Apple Valley |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 100.4 | 2.1% higher in Apple Valley |
| Utilities index | 93.3 | 96.3 | 3.2% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 103.7 | 95.8 | 8.3% higher in Apple Valley |
| Healthcare index | 103.9 | 95.2 | 9.2% 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 $93,753 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 6.2% cheaper overall than Apple Valley, MN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 9% higher in Apple Valley than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Apple Valley, you'd need about $75,002 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.