City comparison
Birmingham, AL is about 750 miles (1,200 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 950 miles, or about 16 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 Birmingham, AL to San Antonio, TX takes about 1 h 29 min, covering roughly 750 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.
San Antonio has a population of 1,445,662, vs 200,431 in Birmingham — about 7.2× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 145 sq mi for Birmingham.
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 | Birmingham | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $995/mo | $1,189/mo | 19.5% higher in San Antonio |
| Median home value | $123,000 | $198,000 | 61.0% higher in San Antonio |
| Median household income | $42,464 | $59,593 | 40.3% higher in San Antonio |
| Groceries index | 96.6 | 94.2 | 2.5% higher in Birmingham |
| Utilities index | 84.8 | 83.3 | 1.8% higher in Birmingham |
| Transportation index | 97.0 | 96.6 | ≈ equal (Birmingham slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 96.5 | 96.1 | ≈ equal (Birmingham 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 Birmingham, you'd need $110,151 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Birmingham, AL is about 9.2% cheaper overall than San Antonio, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 30% higher in San Antonio than in Birmingham. If you earn $80,000 in Birmingham, you'd need about $88,121 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.