City comparison
Dallas, TX is about 225 miles (350 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 275 miles, or about 4 h 45 min 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 Dallas, TX to Houston, TX takes about 27 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 1,300,642 in Dallas — about 1.8× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 340 sq mi for Dallas.
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 | Dallas | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,305/mo | $1,235/mo | 5.7% higher in Dallas |
| Median home value | $270,700 | $235,000 | 15.2% higher in Dallas |
| Median household income | $63,985 | $60,440 | 5.9% higher in Dallas |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 100.4 | 1.3% higher in Dallas |
| Utilities index | 89.3 | 96.3 | 7.9% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 98.5 | 95.8 | 2.9% higher in Dallas |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 95.2 | 4.7% higher in Dallas |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Dallas, you'd need $94,328 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 5.7% cheaper overall than Dallas, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Dallas than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Dallas, you'd need about $75,462 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.