Los Angeles to Phoenix distance

Los Angeles to Phoenix by road

The fastest driving route is 373 miles (600 km) long and takes about 6 hr 40 min without stops or traffic. Almost all of it is on I-10: 360 mi of 373 mi.

It goes through 2 states: California (227 mi) and Arizona (146 mi). That’s an average of 56 mph (89 km/h). AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles: with 3 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 7 hr 40 min. The time is OSRM’s estimate with OpenStreetMap data: no traffic and speeds somewhat below the limits, so real trips can differ.

Straight-line distance and bearing

In a straight line, the shortest distance over the Earth’s surface, Los Angeles and Phoenix are 358 miles (575 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 4% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 104. The route runs almost straight. Of the 40 US pairs in this series, it ranks 39th for detour (the average is 14%).

From Los Angeles, Phoenix lies to the east (bearing 95°), and from Phoenix, Los Angeles lies to the west. The straight line reaches Phoenix on a bearing of 98°: on a sphere the bearing keeps changing along the way, which is why the shortest route looks slightly curved on a flat map.

Halfway between Los Angeles and Phoenix

Halfway along the straight line, 179 miles (288 km) from each city, is the point 33.7889° N, 115.1480° W. It falls near Desert Center (California, pop. 144), 13.0 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Mexicali (Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, Mexico, pop. 1,032,686), 82.0 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 186 miles (300 km) from each city, near Desert Center (California, pop. 144), 9.9 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Mexicali (Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, Mexico, pop. 1,032,686), 73.4 mi away. The two midpoints are 8.8 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time difference and flight

In winter, Phoenix is 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles; in summer, both share the same time. It changes because Arizona doesn’t observe daylight saving time.

A direct flight would take about 1 hr 15 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 575 km straight line at 800 km/h (about 497 mph), a typical airliner cruising speed. Real schedules depend on wind, routing and airports, and not every pair has a direct flight.

The two cities

Los Angeles sits at 284 ft (87 m) and Phoenix at 1,088 ft (332 m), 804 ft (245 m) higher.

Los Angeles has 3.9 million people and Phoenix 1.7 million people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).