City comparison
Austin, TX is about 700 miles (1,100 km) from Montgomery, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 850 miles, or about 14 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 Montgomery, AL takes about 1 h 23 min, covering roughly 700 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 199,819 in Montgomery — about 4.8× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 160 sq mi for Montgomery.
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 | Montgomery | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,026/mo | 51.0% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $141,900 | 225.2% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $54,166 | 59.8% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 96.6 | 2.5% higher in Montgomery |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 85.8 | 3.1% higher in Montgomery |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 97.0 | ≈ equal (Montgomery slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 96.5 | ≈ equal (Montgomery 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 $78,709 in Montgomery to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Montgomery, AL is about 21.3% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 83% higher in Austin than in Montgomery. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $62,968 in Montgomery to keep the same standard of living.