City comparison
Elgin, IL is about 950 miles (1,500 km) from Houston, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 19 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 Elgin, IL to Houston, TX takes about 1 h 52 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.
Houston has a population of 2,296,253, vs 114,190 in Elgin — about 20.1× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 38 sq mi for Elgin.
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 | Elgin | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,190/mo | $1,235/mo | 3.8% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $242,500 | $235,000 | 3.2% higher in Elgin |
| Median household income | $85,998 | $60,440 | 42.3% higher in Elgin |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 100.4 | 5.9% higher in Elgin |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 96.3 | 14.2% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 95.8 | 4.6% higher in Elgin |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 95.2 | 5.5% higher in Elgin |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Elgin, you'd need $96,013 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 4% cheaper overall than Elgin, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in Elgin than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Elgin, you'd need about $76,811 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.