City comparison
Austin, TX is about 225 miles (375 km) from Port Arthur, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 300 miles, or about 4 h 45 min 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 Port Arthur, TX takes about 28 min, covering roughly 225 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 55,897 in Port Arthur — about 17.1× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 76 sq mi for Port Arthur.
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 | Port Arthur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $938/mo | 65.1% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $91,500 | 404.4% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $45,357 | 90.8% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.2 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 84.2 | 1.2% higher in Port Arthur |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 96.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 96.1 | ≈ equal |
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 $80,232 in Port Arthur to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Port Arthur, TX is about 19.8% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 69% higher in Austin than in Port Arthur. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $64,186 in Port Arthur to keep the same standard of living.