City comparison
Arlington, TX is about 250 miles (375 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 300 miles, or about 5 h 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 San Antonio, TX takes about 29 min, covering roughly 250 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.
San Antonio has a population of 1,445,662, vs 393,469 in Arlington — about 3.7× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 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 | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,297/mo | $1,189/mo | 9.1% higher in Arlington |
| Median home value | $251,300 | $198,000 | 26.9% higher in Arlington |
| Median household income | $71,736 | $59,593 | 20.4% higher in Arlington |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 94.2 | 8.0% higher in Arlington |
| Utilities index | 89.3 | 83.3 | 7.1% higher in Arlington |
| Transportation index | 98.5 | 96.6 | 2.0% higher in Arlington |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 96.1 | 3.7% 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 $88,805 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 11.2% cheaper overall than Arlington, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 23% higher in Arlington than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Arlington, you'd need about $71,044 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.