City comparison
Austin, TX is about 90 miles (150 km) from College Station, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 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 College Station, TX takes about 11 min, covering roughly 90 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 120,451 in College Station — about 8.0× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 51 sq mi for College Station.
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 | College Station | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,129/mo | 37.2% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $305,800 | 50.9% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $52,397 | 65.2% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.2 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 85.3 | 2.6% higher in College Station |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 96.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 96.1 | ≈ equal |
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 $82,393 in College Station to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
College Station, TX is about 17.6% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 58% higher in Austin than in College Station. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $65,914 in College Station to keep the same standard of living.