City comparison
Austin, TX is about 950 miles (1,500 km) from West Lafayette, IN in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 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 West Lafayette, IN takes about 1 h 51 min, covering roughly 950 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 44,861 in West Lafayette — about 21.4× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 14 sq mi for West Lafayette.
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 | West Lafayette | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,056/mo | 46.7% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $303,300 | 52.2% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $30,317 | 185.5% higher in Austin |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.5 | ≈ equal (West Lafayette slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 86.9 | 4.4% higher in West Lafayette |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 98.9 | 2.4% higher in West Lafayette |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 99.1 | 3.1% higher in West Lafayette |
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 $83,639 in West Lafayette to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
West Lafayette, IN is about 16.4% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 56% higher in Austin than in West Lafayette. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $66,912 in West Lafayette to keep the same standard of living.