City comparison
Houston, TX is about 250 miles (375 km) from Plano, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 300 miles, or about 5 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 Plano, TX takes about 29 min, covering roughly 250 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 284,948 in Plano — about 8.1× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 72 sq mi for Plano.
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 | Plano | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,699/mo | 37.6% higher in Plano |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $412,500 | 75.5% higher in Plano |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $105,679 | 74.8% higher in Plano |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 102.5 | 2.1% higher in Plano |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 91.1 | 5.7% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 99.8 | 4.2% higher in Plano |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 99.2 | 4.3% higher in Plano |
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 $107,704 in Plano to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 7.2% cheaper overall than Plano, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 15% higher in Plano than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $86,163 in Plano to keep the same standard of living.