City comparison
Houston, TX is about 450 miles (700 km) from Mobile, AL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 550 miles, or about 9 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 Mobile, AL takes about 53 min, covering roughly 450 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 186,316 in Mobile — about 12.3× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 150 sq mi for Mobile.
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 | Mobile | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $985/mo | 25.4% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $158,400 | 48.4% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $48,524 | 24.6% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 96.6 | 3.9% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 85.1 | 13.1% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 97.0 | 1.3% higher in Mobile |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 96.5 | 1.4% higher in Mobile |
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 $80,930 in Mobile to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Mobile, AL is about 19.1% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 68% higher in Houston than in Mobile. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $64,744 in Mobile to keep the same standard of living.