City comparison
Austin, TX is about 800 miles (1,300 km) from Des Moines, IA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,000 miles, or about 17 hours 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 Des Moines, IA takes about 1 h 37 min, covering roughly 800 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 213,164 in Des Moines — about 4.5× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 88 sq mi for Des Moines.
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 | Des Moines | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $995/mo | 55.7% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $170,700 | 170.4% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $62,378 | 38.8% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.0 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 85.2 | 2.5% higher in Des Moines |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 93.3 | 3.6% higher in Austin |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 93.5 | 2.8% higher in Austin |
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 $84,553 in Des Moines to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Des Moines, IA is about 15.4% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 43% higher in Austin than in Des Moines. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $67,643 in Des Moines to keep the same standard of living.