City comparison
Houston, TX is about 60 miles (100 km) from Huntsville, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 80 miles, or about 1 h 15 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 Houston, TX to Huntsville, TX takes about 8 min, covering roughly 60 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 46,202 in Huntsville — about 49.7× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 42 sq mi for Huntsville.
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 | Houston | Huntsville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $970/mo | 27.3% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $207,300 | 13.4% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $37,419 | 61.5% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 100.5 | ≈ equal (Huntsville slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 95.2 | 1.1% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 96.0 | ≈ equal (Huntsville slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 95.5 | ≈ equal (Huntsville 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 Houston, you'd need $99,220 in Huntsville to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Huntsville, TX is about 0.8% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $79,376 in Huntsville to keep the same standard of living.