City comparison
San Antonio, TX is about 175 miles (300 km) from The Woodlands, TX in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 225 miles, or about 4 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 San Antonio, TX to The Woodlands, TX takes about 22 min, covering roughly 175 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 118,402 in The Woodlands — about 12.2× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 43 sq mi for The Woodlands.
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 | San Antonio | The Woodlands | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,189/mo | $1,723/mo | 44.9% higher in The Woodlands |
| Median home value | $198,000 | $456,400 | 130.5% higher in The Woodlands |
| Median household income | $59,593 | $142,384 | 138.9% higher in The Woodlands |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 100.5 | 6.6% higher in The Woodlands |
| Utilities index | 83.3 | 95.2 | 14.3% higher in The Woodlands |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 96.0 | 0.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 95.5 | 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 San Antonio, you'd need $107,813 in The Woodlands to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
San Antonio, TX is about 7.2% cheaper overall than The Woodlands, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 14% higher in The Woodlands than in San Antonio. If you earn $80,000 in San Antonio, you'd need about $86,250 in The Woodlands to keep the same standard of living.