City comparison
El Centro, CA is about 150 miles (225 km) from Rialto, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 175 miles, or about 3 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 Rialto, CA takes about 17 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.
Rialto has a population of 103,873, vs 44,184 in El Centro — about 2.4× larger by population. By land area, Rialto covers about 24 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 | Rialto | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $938/mo | $1,553/mo | 65.6% higher in Rialto |
| Median home value | $266,500 | $418,300 | 57.0% higher in Rialto |
| Median household income | $54,922 | $80,750 | 47.0% higher in Rialto |
| 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 Rialto |
| Healthcare index | 100.6 | 101.5 | 0.9% higher in Rialto |
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 $127,352 in Rialto to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 21.5% cheaper overall than Rialto, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 92% higher in Rialto than in El Centro. If you earn $80,000 in El Centro, you'd need about $101,881 in Rialto to keep the same standard of living.