City comparison
Austin, TX is about 750 miles (1,200 km) from Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 950 miles, or about 16 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 Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN takes about 1 h 30 min, covering roughly 750 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 684,103 in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) — about 1.4× larger by population. By land area, Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) covers about 475 sq mi vs 325 sq mi for Austin.
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 | Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,392/mo | 11.3% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $351,400 | 31.3% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $71,328 | 21.3% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 96.5 | 2.4% higher in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 74.0 | 12.4% higher in Austin |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 95.6 | 1.0% higher in Austin |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 95.1 | 1.1% 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 $93,062 in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), TN is about 6.9% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 15% higher in Austin than in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance). If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $74,449 in Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance) to keep the same standard of living.