City comparison
Cypress, CA is about 150 miles (250 km) from El Centro, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 200 miles, or about 3 h 15 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 Cypress, CA to El Centro, CA takes about 19 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.
Cypress has a population of 49,955, vs 44,184 in El Centro — about 1.1× larger by population. By land area, El Centro covers about 12 sq mi vs 6.6 sq mi for Cypress.
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 | Cypress | El Centro | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,309/mo | $938/mo | 146.2% higher in Cypress |
| Median home value | $825,800 | $266,500 | 209.9% higher in Cypress |
| Median household income | $117,461 | $54,922 | 113.9% higher in Cypress |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 105.1 | 1.3% higher in Cypress |
| Utilities index | 155.6 | 154.3 | 0.8% higher in Cypress |
| Transportation index | 104.4 | 100.7 | 3.7% higher in Cypress |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.6 | 3.7% higher in Cypress |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Cypress, you'd need $66,776 in El Centro to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 33.2% cheaper overall than Cypress, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 156% higher in Cypress than in El Centro. If you earn $80,000 in Cypress, you'd need about $53,420 in El Centro to keep the same standard of living.