City comparison
Dallas, TX is about 600 miles (1,000 km) from Springfield, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 800 miles, or about 13 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 Dallas, TX to Springfield, IL takes about 1 h 15 min, covering roughly 600 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.
Dallas has a population of 1,300,642, vs 114,214 in Springfield — about 11.4× larger by population. By land area, Dallas covers about 340 sq mi vs 61 sq mi for Springfield.
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 | Springfield | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,305/mo | $913/mo | 42.9% higher in Dallas |
| Median home value | $270,700 | $147,700 | 83.3% higher in Dallas |
| Median household income | $63,985 | $62,419 | 2.5% higher in Dallas |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 93.9 | 8.4% higher in Dallas |
| Utilities index | 89.3 | 90.5 | 1.4% higher in Springfield |
| Transportation index | 98.5 | 99.3 | 0.8% higher in Springfield |
| Healthcare index | 99.7 | 99.5 | ≈ equal (Dallas 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 Dallas, you'd need $81,116 in Springfield to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Springfield, IL is about 18.9% cheaper overall than Dallas, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 63% higher in Dallas than in Springfield. If you earn $80,000 in Dallas, you'd need about $64,892 in Springfield to keep the same standard of living.