City comparison
El Centro, CA is about 90 miles (150 km) from Palm Springs, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 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 El Centro, CA to Palm Springs, CA takes about 11 min, covering roughly 90 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.
Palm Springs has a population of 44,935, vs 44,184 in El Centro — about the same size. By land area, Palm Springs covers about 95 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 | El Centro | Palm Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $938/mo | $1,397/mo | 48.9% higher in Palm Springs |
| Median home value | $266,500 | $504,700 | 89.4% higher in Palm Springs |
| Median household income | $54,922 | $67,451 | 22.8% higher in Palm Springs |
| Groceries index | 105.1 | 101.7 | 3.3% higher in El Centro |
| Utilities index | 154.3 | 146.5 | 5.3% higher in El Centro |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 101.6 | 0.9% higher in Palm Springs |
| Healthcare index | 100.6 | 101.5 | 0.9% higher in Palm Springs |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in El Centro, you'd need $126,841 in Palm Springs to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 21.2% cheaper overall than Palm Springs, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 91% higher in Palm Springs than in El Centro. If you earn $80,000 in El Centro, you'd need about $101,473 in Palm Springs to keep the same standard of living.