City comparison
Madison, WI is about 1,100 miles (1,700 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,300 miles, or about 22 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) 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 Madison, WI to San Antonio, TX takes about 2 h 8 min, covering roughly 1,100 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.
San Antonio has a population of 1,445,662, vs 268,516 in Madison — about 5.4× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 84 sq mi for Madison.
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 | Madison | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,291/mo | $1,189/mo | 8.6% higher in Madison |
| Median home value | $326,600 | $198,000 | 64.9% higher in Madison |
| Median household income | $74,895 | $59,593 | 25.7% higher in Madison |
| Groceries index | 94.0 | 94.2 | ≈ equal (San Antonio slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 90.0 | 83.3 | 8.0% higher in Madison |
| Transportation index | 99.2 | 96.6 | 2.6% higher in Madison |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 96.1 | 3.4% higher in Madison |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Madison, you'd need $96,167 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 3.8% cheaper overall than Madison, WI, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in Madison than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Madison, you'd need about $76,933 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.