City comparison
Galveston, TX is about 225 miles (350 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 275 miles, or about 4 h 30 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 Galveston, TX to San Antonio, TX takes about 26 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.
San Antonio has a population of 1,445,662, vs 53,265 in Galveston — about 27.1× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 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 | Galveston | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,200/mo | $1,189/mo | 0.9% higher in Galveston |
| Median home value | $258,300 | $198,000 | 30.5% higher in Galveston |
| Median household income | $57,453 | $59,593 | 3.7% higher in San Antonio |
| Groceries index | 100.5 | 94.2 | 6.6% higher in Galveston |
| Utilities index | 95.2 | 83.3 | 14.3% higher in Galveston |
| Transportation index | 96.0 | 96.6 | 0.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Healthcare index | 95.5 | 96.1 | 0.6% higher in San Antonio |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Galveston, you'd need $94,212 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 5.8% cheaper overall than Galveston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 10% higher in Galveston than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Galveston, you'd need about $75,370 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.