City comparison
Austin, TX is about 350 miles (550 km) from Lafayette, LA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 425 miles, or about 7 h 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 Lafayette, LA takes about 41 min, covering roughly 350 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 121,706 in Lafayette — about 7.9× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 56 sq mi for Lafayette.
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 | Lafayette | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,022/mo | 51.6% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $234,900 | 96.5% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $58,850 | 47.1% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.1 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 73.3 | 13.4% higher in Austin |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 96.1 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 95.6 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
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 $74,960 in Lafayette to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Lafayette, LA is about 25% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 98% higher in Austin than in Lafayette. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $59,968 in Lafayette to keep the same standard of living.