City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 100 miles (175 km) from Poway, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 125 miles, or about 2 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 Los Angeles, CA to Poway, CA takes about 13 min, covering roughly 100 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.
Los Angeles has a population of 3,881,041, vs 48,737 in Poway — about 79.6× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 39 sq mi for Poway.
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 | Los Angeles | Poway | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $2,165/mo | 20.9% higher in Poway |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $911,500 | 10.8% higher in Poway |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $135,605 | 77.9% higher in Poway |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 107.6 | 1.1% higher in Poway |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 169.8 | 11.9% higher in Poway |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 100.0 | 4.0% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.0 | 4.3% higher in Los Angeles |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need $103,721 in Poway to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 3.6% cheaper overall than Poway, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% higher in Poway than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $82,977 in Poway to keep the same standard of living.