City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 60 miles (90 km) from Riverside, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 70 miles, or about 1 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 Riverside, CA takes about 7 min, covering roughly 60 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 316,076 in Riverside — about 12.3× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 81 sq mi for Riverside.
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 | Riverside | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $1,711/mo | 4.7% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $485,500 | 69.4% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $83,448 | 9.4% higher in Riverside |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 100.5 | 5.8% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 143.3 | 5.9% higher in Los Angeles |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 101.1 | 2.9% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 102.0 | 2.3% 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 $86,243 in Riverside to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Riverside, CA is about 13.8% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 29% higher in Los Angeles than in Riverside. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $68,994 in Riverside to keep the same standard of living.