City comparison
Austin, TX is about 400 miles (650 km) from Baton Rouge, LA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 500 miles, or about 8 h 15 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 Austin, TX to Baton Rouge, LA takes about 47 min, covering roughly 400 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.
Austin has a population of 958,202, vs 225,500 in Baton Rouge — about 4.2× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 87 sq mi for Baton Rouge.
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 | Austin | Baton Rouge | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,010/mo | 53.4% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $217,700 | 112.0% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $50,155 | 72.6% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.1 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 73.3 | 13.5% higher in Austin |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 96.1 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 95.6 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Austin, you'd need $80,537 in Baton Rouge to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Baton Rouge, LA is about 19.5% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 61% higher in Austin than in Baton Rouge. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $64,429 in Baton Rouge to keep the same standard of living.