City comparison
Houston, TX is about 350 miles (550 km) from Wichita Falls, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 425 miles, or about 7 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 Wichita Falls, TX takes about 41 min, covering roughly 350 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 102,482 in Wichita Falls — about 22.4× larger by population. By land area, Houston covers about 640 sq mi vs 72 sq mi for Wichita Falls.
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 | Wichita Falls | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $949/mo | 30.1% higher in Houston |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $128,800 | 82.5% higher in Houston |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $55,584 | 8.7% higher in Houston |
| Groceries index | 100.4 | 94.2 | 6.6% higher in Houston |
| Utilities index | 96.3 | 85.0 | 13.2% higher in Houston |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 96.6 | 0.9% higher in Wichita Falls |
| Healthcare index | 95.2 | 96.1 | 1.0% higher in Wichita Falls |
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 $83,402 in Wichita Falls to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Wichita Falls, TX is about 16.6% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 51% higher in Houston than in Wichita Falls. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $66,721 in Wichita Falls to keep the same standard of living.