City comparison
Palm Desert, CA is about 60 miles (100 km) from Rialto, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 80 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 Palm Desert, CA to Rialto, CA takes about 8 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.
Rialto has a population of 103,873, vs 51,290 in Palm Desert — about 2.0× larger by population. By land area, Palm Desert covers about 27 sq mi vs 24 sq mi for Rialto.
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 | Palm Desert | Rialto | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,564/mo | $1,553/mo | 0.7% higher in Palm Desert |
| Median home value | $452,000 | $418,300 | 8.1% higher in Palm Desert |
| Median household income | $75,691 | $80,750 | 6.7% higher in Rialto |
| Groceries index | 101.7 | 101.7 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 146.5 | 146.5 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 101.6 | 101.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 101.5 | 101.5 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Palm Desert, you'd need $99,974 in Rialto to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Palm Desert and Rialto have nearly identical overall cost-of-living indices. If you earn $80,000 in Palm Desert, you'd need about $79,980 in Rialto to keep the same standard of living.