City comparison
Austin, TX is about 175 miles (300 km) from Bedford, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 3 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 Austin, TX to Bedford, TX takes about 22 min, covering roughly 175 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 49,455 in Bedford — about 19.4× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 10 sq mi for Bedford.
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 | Bedford | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,332/mo | 16.3% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $292,100 | 58.0% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $80,924 | 7.0% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 102.5 | 8.8% higher in Bedford |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 91.1 | 9.5% higher in Bedford |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 99.8 | 3.2% higher in Bedford |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 99.2 | 3.2% higher in Bedford |
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 $101,409 in Bedford to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Austin, TX is about 1.4% cheaper overall than Bedford, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% higher in Austin than in Bedford. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $81,127 in Bedford to keep the same standard of living.