City comparison
Colton, CA is about 225 miles (375 km) from Fresno, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 300 miles, or about 5 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 Colton, CA to Fresno, CA takes about 28 min, covering roughly 225 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.
Fresno has a population of 541,528, vs 53,959 in Colton — about 10.0× larger by population. By land area, Fresno covers about 115 sq mi vs 16 sq mi for Colton.
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 | Colton | Fresno | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,462/mo | $1,227/mo | 19.2% higher in Colton |
| Median home value | $376,600 | $321,800 | 17.0% higher in Colton |
| Median household income | $66,725 | $63,001 | 5.9% higher in Colton |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 105.1 | 3.3% higher in Fresno |
| Utilities index | 146.5 | 157.8 | 7.7% higher in Fresno |
| Transportation index | 101.6 | 100.7 | 0.9% higher in Colton |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 100.6 | 0.9% higher in Colton |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Colton, you'd need $89,428 in Fresno to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Fresno, CA is about 10.6% cheaper overall than Colton, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 34% higher in Colton than in Fresno. If you earn $80,000 in Colton, you'd need about $71,543 in Fresno to keep the same standard of living.