City comparison
Dallas, TX is about 250 miles (400 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 325 miles, or about 5 h 15 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 San Antonio, TX takes about 30 min, covering roughly 250 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 1,300,642 in Dallas — about 1.1× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 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 | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,305/mo | $1,189/mo | 9.8% higher in Dallas |
| Median home value | $270,700 | $198,000 | 36.7% higher in Dallas |
| Median household income | $63,985 | $59,593 | 7.4% higher in Dallas |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 94.2 | 8.0% higher in Dallas |
| Utilities index | 89.3 | 83.3 | 7.1% higher in Dallas |
| Transportation index | 98.5 | 96.6 | 2.0% higher in Dallas |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 96.1 | 3.7% 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 $88,788 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 11.2% cheaper overall than Dallas, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 23% higher in Dallas than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Dallas, you'd need about $71,031 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.