City comparison
Garland, TX is about 275 miles (425 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 325 miles, or about 5 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 Garland, TX to San Antonio, TX takes about 32 min, covering roughly 275 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 244,026 in Garland — about 5.9× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 57 sq mi for Garland.
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 | Garland | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,421/mo | $1,189/mo | 19.5% higher in Garland |
| Median home value | $229,000 | $198,000 | 15.7% higher in Garland |
| Median household income | $71,044 | $59,593 | 19.2% higher in Garland |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 94.2 | 8.8% higher in Garland |
| Utilities index | 91.1 | 83.3 | 9.3% higher in Garland |
| Transportation index | 99.8 | 96.6 | 3.2% higher in Garland |
| Healthcare index | 99.2 | 96.1 | 3.2% higher in Garland |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Garland, you'd need $88,073 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 11.9% cheaper overall than Garland, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 24% higher in Garland than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Garland, you'd need about $70,459 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.