City comparison
Cathedral City, CA is about 90 miles (150 km) from El Centro, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 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 Cathedral City, CA to El Centro, CA takes about 11 min, covering roughly 90 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.
Cathedral City has a population of 51,964, vs 44,184 in El Centro — about 1.2× larger by population. By land area, Cathedral City covers about 22 sq mi vs 12 sq mi for El Centro.
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 | Cathedral City | El Centro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,445/mo | $938/mo | 54.1% higher in Cathedral City |
| Median home value | $381,800 | $266,500 | 43.3% higher in Cathedral City |
| Median household income | $63,209 | $54,922 | 15.1% higher in Cathedral City |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 105.1 | 3.3% higher in El Centro |
| Utilities index | 146.5 | 154.3 | 5.3% higher in El Centro |
| Transportation index | 101.6 | 100.7 | 0.9% higher in Cathedral City |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 100.6 | 0.9% higher in Cathedral City |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Cathedral City, you'd need $78,745 in El Centro to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 21.3% cheaper overall than Cathedral City, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 91% higher in Cathedral City than in El Centro. If you earn $80,000 in Cathedral City, you'd need about $62,996 in El Centro to keep the same standard of living.