City comparison
Austin, TX is about 950 miles (1,600 km) from Elgin, 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 Elgin, IL takes about 1 h 56 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.
Austin has a population of 958,202, vs 114,190 in Elgin — about 8.4× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 38 sq mi for Elgin.
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 | Elgin | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,190/mo | 30.2% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $242,500 | 90.3% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $85,998 | 0.6% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 106.3 | 12.8% higher in Elgin |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 84.3 | 1.4% higher in Elgin |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 100.2 | 3.7% higher in Elgin |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 100.4 | 4.4% higher in Elgin |
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 $99,077 in Elgin to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Elgin, IL is about 0.9% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 9% higher in Austin than in Elgin. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $79,261 in Elgin to keep the same standard of living.