City comparison
Gary, IN is about 1,000 miles (1,700 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,300 miles, or about 22 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) 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 Gary, IN to San Antonio, TX takes about 2 h 5 min, covering roughly 1,000 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 69,136 in Gary — about 20.9× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 50 sq mi for Gary.
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 | Gary | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $929/mo | $1,189/mo | 28.0% higher in San Antonio |
| Median home value | $81,800 | $198,000 | 142.1% higher in San Antonio |
| Median household income | $36,874 | $59,593 | 61.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Groceries index | 106.3 | 94.2 | 12.8% higher in Gary |
| Utilities index | 84.3 | 83.3 | 1.2% higher in Gary |
| Transportation index | 100.2 | 96.6 | 3.7% higher in Gary |
| Healthcare index | 100.4 | 96.1 | 4.4% higher in Gary |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Gary, you'd need $91,057 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 8.9% cheaper overall than Gary, IN, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 15% higher in Gary than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Gary, you'd need about $72,846 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.