City comparison
Chino Hills, CA is about 150 miles (250 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 Hills, 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 Hills has a population of 78,223, vs 44,184 in El Centro — about 1.8× larger by population. By land area, Chino Hills covers about 45 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 Hills | El Centro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,575/mo | $938/mo | 174.5% higher in Chino Hills |
| Median home value | $776,200 | $266,500 | 191.3% higher in Chino Hills |
| Median household income | $117,548 | $54,922 | 114.0% higher in Chino Hills |
| Groceries index | 102.8 | 105.1 | 2.2% higher in El Centro |
| Utilities index | 148.6 | 154.3 | 3.8% higher in El Centro |
| Transportation index | 102.2 | 100.7 | 1.6% higher in Chino Hills |
| Healthcare index | 102.2 | 100.6 | 1.6% higher in Chino Hills |
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 Hills, you'd need $73,915 in El Centro to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 26.1% cheaper overall than Chino Hills, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 116% higher in Chino Hills than in El Centro. If you earn $80,000 in Chino Hills, you'd need about $59,132 in El Centro to keep the same standard of living.