City comparison
Austin, TX is about 650 miles (1,000 km) from Tuscaloosa, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 800 miles, or about 13 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 Tuscaloosa, AL takes about 1 h 16 min, covering roughly 650 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 105,797 in Tuscaloosa — about 9.1× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 63 sq mi for Tuscaloosa.
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 | Tuscaloosa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $980/mo | 58.1% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $228,300 | 102.1% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $47,257 | 83.2% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 96.6 | 2.5% higher in Tuscaloosa |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 85.3 | 2.6% higher in Tuscaloosa |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 97.0 | ≈ equal (Tuscaloosa slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 96.5 | ≈ equal (Tuscaloosa slightly higher) |
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 $76,302 in Tuscaloosa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Tuscaloosa, AL is about 23.7% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 101% higher in Austin than in Tuscaloosa. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $61,041 in Tuscaloosa to keep the same standard of living.