City comparison
Arlington Heights, IL is about 950 miles (1,500 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 20 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 Arlington Heights, IL to Houston, TX takes about 1 h 53 min, covering roughly 950 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 76,794 in Arlington Heights — about 29.9× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 17 sq mi for Arlington Heights.
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 | Arlington Heights | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,660/mo | $1,235/mo | 34.4% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Median home value | $396,500 | $235,000 | 68.7% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Median household income | $113,502 | $60,440 | 87.8% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 100.4 | 5.9% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 96.3 | 14.2% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 95.8 | 4.6% higher in Arlington Heights |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 95.2 | 5.5% higher in Arlington Heights |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Arlington Heights, you'd need $94,730 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 5.3% cheaper overall than Arlington Heights, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 9% higher in Arlington Heights than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Arlington Heights, you'd need about $75,784 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.