City comparison
San Antonio, TX is about 950 miles (1,600 km) from Waterloo, IA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 20 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 San Antonio, TX to Waterloo, IA takes about 1 h 56 min, covering roughly 950 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 67,256 in Waterloo — about 21.5× larger by population. By land area, San Antonio covers about 500 sq mi vs 62 sq mi for Waterloo.
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 | Waterloo | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,189/mo | $865/mo | 37.5% higher in San Antonio |
| Median home value | $198,000 | $142,000 | 39.4% higher in San Antonio |
| Median household income | $59,593 | $54,104 | 10.1% higher in San Antonio |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.0 | ≈ equal (San Antonio slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.3 | 84.4 | 1.3% higher in Waterloo |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 93.3 | 3.6% higher in San Antonio |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 93.5 | 2.8% 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 $85,087 in Waterloo to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Waterloo, IA is about 14.9% cheaper overall than San Antonio, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 49% higher in San Antonio than in Waterloo. If you earn $80,000 in San Antonio, you'd need about $68,070 in Waterloo to keep the same standard of living.