City comparison
Ontario, CA is about 375 miles (600 km) from Sacramento, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 475 miles, or about 8 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 Ontario, CA to Sacramento, CA takes about 46 min, covering roughly 375 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.
Sacramento has a population of 523,600, vs 176,326 in Ontario — about 3.0× larger by population. By land area, Sacramento covers about 99 sq mi vs 50 sq mi for Ontario.
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 | Ontario | Sacramento | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,826/mo | $1,592/mo | 14.7% higher in Ontario |
| Median home value | $513,000 | $450,500 | 13.9% higher in Ontario |
| Median household income | $78,070 | $78,954 | 1.1% higher in Sacramento |
| Groceries index | 100.5 | 105.1 | 4.5% higher in Sacramento |
| Utilities index | 143.3 | 148.9 | 3.9% higher in Sacramento |
| Transportation index | 101.1 | 100.7 | ≈ equal (Ontario slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 102.0 | 100.6 | 1.3% higher in Ontario |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Ontario, you'd need $100,571 in Sacramento to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ontario, CA is about 0.6% cheaper overall than Sacramento, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Ontario, you'd need about $80,457 in Sacramento to keep the same standard of living.