City comparison
Austin, TX is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Evanston, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 21 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 Evanston, IL takes about 1 h 58 min, covering roughly 1,000 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 77,181 in Evanston — about 12.4× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 7.8 sq mi for Evanston.
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 | Evanston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,625/mo | 4.9% higher in Evanston |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $454,600 | 1.5% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $93,188 | 7.7% higher in Evanston |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 106.3 | 12.8% higher in Evanston |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 84.3 | 1.4% higher in Evanston |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 100.2 | 3.7% higher in Evanston |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 100.4 | 4.4% higher in Evanston |
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 $100,324 in Evanston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Austin and Evanston have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in Austin than in Evanston. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $80,259 in Evanston to keep the same standard of living.