City comparison
Costa Mesa, CA is about 10 miles (10 km) from Huntington Beach, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 10 miles, or about 7 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 Costa Mesa, CA to Huntington Beach, CA takes about 1 min, covering roughly 10 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.
Huntington Beach has a population of 197,481, vs 111,490 in Costa Mesa — about 1.8× larger by population. By land area, Huntington Beach covers about 27 sq mi vs 16 sq mi for Costa Mesa.
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 | Costa Mesa | Huntington Beach | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,268/mo | $2,318/mo | 2.2% higher in Huntington Beach |
| Median home value | $959,800 | $976,800 | 1.8% higher in Huntington Beach |
| Median household income | $104,981 | $114,747 | 9.3% higher in Huntington Beach |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 106.4 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 155.6 | 155.6 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 104.4 | 104.4 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 104.3 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Costa Mesa, you'd need $100,116 in Huntington Beach to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Costa Mesa, you'd need about $80,093 in Huntington Beach to keep the same standard of living.