City comparison
Arlington, TX is about 20 miles (40 km) from Dallas, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 30 miles, or about 27 min 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, TX to Dallas, TX takes about 3 min, covering roughly 20 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.
Dallas has a population of 1,300,642, vs 393,469 in Arlington — about 3.3× larger by population. By land area, Dallas covers about 340 sq mi vs 96 sq mi for Arlington.
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 | Dallas | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,297/mo | $1,305/mo | 0.6% higher in Dallas |
| Median home value | $251,300 | $270,700 | 7.7% higher in Dallas |
| Median household income | $71,736 | $63,985 | 12.1% higher in Arlington |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 101.7 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 89.3 | 89.3 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 98.5 | 98.5 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 99.7 | ≈ equal |
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, you'd need $100,019 in Dallas to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Arlington and Dallas have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Arlington, you'd need about $80,015 in Dallas to keep the same standard of living.