City comparison
Houston, TX is about 375 miles (600 km) from Little Rock, AR in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 475 miles, or about 8 h 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 Little Rock, AR takes about 46 min, covering roughly 375 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 202,218 in Little Rock — about 11.4× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 120 sq mi for Little Rock.
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 | Little Rock | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,006/mo | 22.8% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $205,800 | 14.2% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $58,697 | 3.0% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 94.0 | 6.8% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 76.5 | 26.0% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 95.8 | ≈ equal (Little Rock slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 95.3 | ≈ equal (Little Rock 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 $82,531 in Little Rock to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Little Rock, AR is about 17.5% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 50% higher in Houston than in Little Rock. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $66,025 in Little Rock to keep the same standard of living.