City comparison
Austin, TX is about 70 miles (125 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 90 miles, or about 1 h 30 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 San Antonio, TX takes about 9 min, covering roughly 70 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.
San Antonio has a population of 1,445,662, vs 958,202 in Austin — about 1.5× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 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 | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,189/mo | 30.3% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $198,000 | 133.1% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $59,593 | 45.2% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.2 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 83.3 | ≈ equal (San Antonio slightly higher) |
| 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 $89,540 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 10.5% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 28% higher in Austin than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $71,632 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.