City comparison
Austin, TX is about 200 miles (325 km) from Richardson, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 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 Richardson, TX takes about 23 min, covering roughly 200 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 118,063 in Richardson — about 8.1× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 29 sq mi for Richardson.
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 | Richardson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,725/mo | 11.4% higher in Richardson |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $379,800 | 21.5% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $94,362 | 9.0% higher in Richardson |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 102.5 | 8.8% higher in Richardson |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 91.1 | 9.5% higher in Richardson |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 99.8 | 3.2% higher in Richardson |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 99.2 | 3.2% higher in Richardson |
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 $102,532 in Richardson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Austin, TX is about 2.5% cheaper overall than Richardson, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $82,025 in Richardson to keep the same standard of living.