City comparison
El Centro, CA is about 90 miles (150 km) from Poway, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 100 miles, or about 1 h 45 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 El Centro, CA to Poway, CA takes about 10 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.
Poway has a population of 48,737, vs 44,184 in El Centro — about 1.1× larger by population. By land area, Poway covers about 39 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 | Poway | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $938/mo | $2,165/mo | 130.8% higher in Poway |
| Median home value | $266,500 | $911,500 | 242.0% higher in Poway |
| Median household income | $54,922 | $135,605 | 146.9% higher in Poway |
| Groceries index | 105.1 | 107.6 | 2.4% higher in Poway |
| Utilities index | 154.3 | 169.8 | 10.1% higher in Poway |
| Transportation index | 100.7 | 100.0 | 0.6% higher in El Centro |
| Healthcare index | 100.6 | 100.0 | 0.6% higher in El Centro |
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 $153,083 in Poway to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 34.7% cheaper overall than Poway, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 167% higher in Poway than in El Centro. If you earn $80,000 in El Centro, you'd need about $122,467 in Poway to keep the same standard of living.