City comparison
Austin, TX is about 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Waukegan, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 21 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) 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 Waukegan, IL takes about 2 h, covering roughly 1,000 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 89,435 in Waukegan — about 10.7× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 24 sq mi for Waukegan.
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 | Waukegan | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,132/mo | 36.8% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $164,400 | 180.7% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $66,077 | 31.0% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 106.0 | 12.6% higher in Waukegan |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 84.8 | 1.9% higher in Waukegan |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 100.1 | 3.6% higher in Waukegan |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 100.3 | 4.4% higher in Waukegan |
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 $97,535 in Waukegan to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Waukegan, IL is about 2.5% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 13% higher in Austin than in Waukegan. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $78,028 in Waukegan to keep the same standard of living.