City comparison
Houston, TX is about 150 miles (250 km) from Temple, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 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 Temple, TX takes about 18 min, covering roughly 150 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 83,473 in Temple — about 27.5× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 73 sq mi for Temple.
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 | Temple | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,088/mo | 13.5% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $191,300 | 22.8% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $61,003 | 0.9% higher in Temple |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 94.2 | 6.6% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 82.5 | 16.8% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 96.6 | 0.9% higher in Temple |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 96.1 | 1.0% higher in Temple |
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 $87,314 in Temple to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Temple, TX is about 12.7% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% higher in Houston than in Temple. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $69,851 in Temple to keep the same standard of living.