City comparison
Bedford, TX is about 225 miles (375 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 300 miles, or about 5 h 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 Bedford, TX to Houston, TX takes about 28 min, covering roughly 225 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.
Houston has a population of 2,296,253, vs 49,455 in Bedford — about 46.4× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 10 sq mi for Bedford.
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 | Bedford | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,332/mo | $1,235/mo | 7.9% higher in Bedford |
| Median home value | $292,100 | $235,000 | 24.3% higher in Bedford |
| Median household income | $80,924 | $60,440 | 33.9% higher in Bedford |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 100.4 | 2.1% higher in Bedford |
| Utilities index | 91.1 | 96.3 | 5.7% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 99.8 | 95.8 | 4.2% higher in Bedford |
| Healthcare index | 99.2 | 95.2 | 4.3% higher in Bedford |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Bedford, you'd need $93,806 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 6.2% cheaper overall than Bedford, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Bedford than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Bedford, you'd need about $75,045 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.