City comparison
Pasadena, TX is about 200 miles (325 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 250 miles, or about 4 h 15 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 Pasadena, TX to San Antonio, TX takes about 24 min, covering roughly 200 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 150,620 in Pasadena — about 9.6× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 44 sq mi for Pasadena.
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 | Pasadena | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,159/mo | $1,189/mo | 2.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Median home value | $171,600 | $198,000 | 15.4% higher in San Antonio |
| Median household income | $64,698 | $59,593 | 8.6% higher in Pasadena |
| Groceries index | 100.5 | 94.2 | 6.6% higher in Pasadena |
| Utilities index | 95.2 | 83.3 | 14.3% higher in Pasadena |
| Transportation index | 96.0 | 96.6 | 0.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Healthcare index | 95.5 | 96.1 | 0.6% higher in San Antonio |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Pasadena, you'd need $94,325 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 5.7% cheaper overall than Pasadena, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 9% higher in Pasadena than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Pasadena, you'd need about $75,460 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.