City comparison
Chicago, IL is about 950 miles (1,600 km) from Galveston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 20 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 Chicago, IL to Galveston, TX takes about 1 h 56 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.
Chicago has a population of 2,721,914, vs 53,265 in Galveston — about 51.1× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 41 sq mi for Galveston.
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 | Chicago | Galveston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,200/mo | 9.5% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $258,300 | 17.9% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $57,453 | 24.8% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 100.5 | 5.9% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 84.4 | 95.2 | 12.9% higher in Galveston |
| Transportation index | 100.3 | 96.0 | 4.5% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 100.2 | 95.5 | 4.9% higher in Chicago |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Chicago, you'd need $95,551 in Galveston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Galveston, TX is about 4.4% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 7% higher in Chicago than in Galveston. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $76,441 in Galveston to keep the same standard of living.