City comparison
Chino, CA is about 150 miles (225 km) from El Centro, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 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 Chino, CA to El Centro, CA takes about 18 min, covering roughly 150 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.
Chino has a population of 91,008, vs 44,184 in El Centro — about 2.1× larger by population. By land area, Chino covers about 30 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 | Chino | El Centro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,001/mo | $938/mo | 113.3% higher in Chino |
| Median home value | $599,200 | $266,500 | 124.8% higher in Chino |
| Median household income | $99,385 | $54,922 | 81.0% higher in Chino |
| 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 Chino |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 100.6 | 0.9% higher in Chino |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Chino, you'd need $77,634 in El Centro to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 22.4% cheaper overall than Chino, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 97% higher in Chino than in El Centro. If you earn $80,000 in Chino, you'd need about $62,107 in El Centro to keep the same standard of living.