City comparison
Arlington, TX is about 225 miles (375 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 275 miles, or about 4 h 45 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 Houston, TX takes about 27 min, covering roughly 225 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 393,469 in Arlington — about 5.8× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 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 | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,297/mo | $1,235/mo | 5.0% higher in Arlington |
| Median home value | $251,300 | $235,000 | 6.9% higher in Arlington |
| Median household income | $71,736 | $60,440 | 18.7% higher in Arlington |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 100.4 | 1.3% higher in Arlington |
| Utilities index | 89.3 | 96.3 | 7.9% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 98.5 | 95.8 | 2.9% higher in Arlington |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 95.2 | 4.7% higher in Arlington |
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 $94,346 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 5.7% cheaper overall than Arlington, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Arlington than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Arlington, you'd need about $75,477 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.