City comparison
Houston, TX is about 175 miles (275 km) from New Braunfels, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 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 Houston, TX to New Braunfels, TX takes about 20 min, covering roughly 175 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 92,993 in New Braunfels — about 24.7× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 45 sq mi for New Braunfels.
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 | New Braunfels | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,426/mo | 15.5% higher in New Braunfels |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $290,800 | 23.7% higher in New Braunfels |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $85,827 | 42.0% higher in New Braunfels |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 94.2 | 6.6% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 83.3 | 15.6% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 96.6 | 0.9% higher in New Braunfels |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 96.1 | 1.0% higher in New Braunfels |
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 $94,837 in New Braunfels to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
New Braunfels, TX is about 5.2% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% higher in Houston than in New Braunfels. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $75,870 in New Braunfels to keep the same standard of living.