City comparison
McKinney, TX is about 275 miles (450 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 350 miles, or about 5 h 45 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 McKinney, TX to San Antonio, TX takes about 34 min, covering roughly 275 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 196,160 in McKinney — about 7.4× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 68 sq mi for McKinney.
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 | McKinney | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,740/mo | $1,189/mo | 46.3% higher in McKinney |
| Median home value | $400,400 | $198,000 | 102.2% higher in McKinney |
| Median household income | $113,286 | $59,593 | 90.1% higher in McKinney |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 94.2 | 8.8% higher in McKinney |
| Utilities index | 91.1 | 83.3 | 9.3% higher in McKinney |
| Transportation index | 99.8 | 96.6 | 3.2% higher in McKinney |
| Healthcare index | 99.2 | 96.1 | 3.2% higher in McKinney |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in McKinney, you'd need $87,289 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 12.7% cheaper overall than McKinney, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 27% higher in McKinney than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in McKinney, you'd need about $69,831 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.