City comparison
Austin, TX is about 425 miles (650 km) from Tulsa, OK in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 500 miles, or about 8 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 Tulsa, OK takes about 50 min, covering roughly 425 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 411,938 in Tulsa — about 2.3× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 200 sq mi for Tulsa.
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 | Tulsa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $958/mo | 61.7% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $174,200 | 164.9% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $56,648 | 52.8% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.2 | ≈ equal (Tulsa slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 75.7 | 9.8% higher in Austin |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 95.9 | 0.7% higher in Austin |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 95.4 | 0.7% 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 $78,367 in Tulsa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Tulsa, OK is about 21.6% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 75% higher in Austin than in Tulsa. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $62,693 in Tulsa to keep the same standard of living.