City comparison
Austin, TX is about 950 miles (1,600 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 20 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) 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 Chicago, IL takes about 1 h 57 min, covering roughly 950 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.
Chicago has a population of 2,721,914, vs 958,202 in Austin — about 2.8× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 230 sq mi for Chicago.
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 | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,314/mo | 17.9% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $304,500 | 51.6% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $71,673 | 20.8% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 106.4 | 12.9% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 84.4 | 1.4% higher in Chicago |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 100.3 | 3.8% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 100.2 | 4.3% higher in Chicago |
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 $99,467 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chicago, IL is about 0.5% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% higher in Austin than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $79,574 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.