City comparison
Plano, TX is about 275 miles (425 km) from San Antonio, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 325 miles, or about 5 h 30 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 Plano, TX to San Antonio, TX takes about 32 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 284,948 in Plano — about 5.1× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 72 sq mi for Plano.
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 | Plano | San Antonio | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,699/mo | $1,189/mo | 42.9% higher in Plano |
| Median home value | $412,500 | $198,000 | 108.3% higher in Plano |
| Median household income | $105,679 | $59,593 | 77.3% higher in Plano |
| Groceries index | 102.5 | 94.2 | 8.8% higher in Plano |
| Utilities index | 91.1 | 83.3 | 9.3% higher in Plano |
| Transportation index | 99.8 | 96.6 | 3.2% higher in Plano |
| Healthcare index | 99.2 | 96.1 | 3.2% higher in Plano |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Plano, you'd need $87,394 in San Antonio to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 12.6% cheaper overall than Plano, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 26% higher in Plano than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in Plano, you'd need about $69,915 in San Antonio to keep the same standard of living.