City comparison
Austin, TX is about 900 miles (1,500 km) from Sioux Falls, SD in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,100 miles, or about 19 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 Sioux Falls, SD takes about 1 h 50 min, covering roughly 900 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 193,401 in Sioux Falls — about 5.0× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 84 sq mi for Sioux Falls.
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 | Sioux Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $965/mo | 60.5% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $250,000 | 84.6% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $71,785 | 20.6% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 95.5 | 1.4% higher in Sioux Falls |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 81.7 | 1.8% higher in Austin |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 92.3 | 4.6% higher in Austin |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 92.5 | 3.8% 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 $81,517 in Sioux Falls to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Sioux Falls, SD is about 18.5% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 56% higher in Austin than in Sioux Falls. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $65,214 in Sioux Falls to keep the same standard of living.