Skip to content
Elevation

Elevation of Chula Vista

66ft

above sea level · 20 m

Chula Vista is a city in California with 275,533 people, the 15th most populous in the state. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 26th lowest.

By the Mapsfera Team

Elevation profile

Loading the map…

Place facts

Coordinates
32.64° N · 117.08° W
In degrees, minutes and seconds: 32° 38′ 24″ N · 117° 5′ 3″ W
UTM coordinates
11S · 492,106 E · 3,611,382 N
Zone 11 · NAD83, the official US datum
County
San Diego County
Where the city’s reference point falls
State
California
CA · capital: Sacramento
Time zone
Pacific Time
UTC−8 · UTC−7 in summer (daylight saving time)
Population (2025)
275,533 people
49.7 sq mi of land · 5,538 people/sq mi
Elevation model
USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
Lidar from December 2023: the ground height at the city’s reference point.

Population

Chula Vista had 275,533 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, about the same as in April 2020 (275,503). Its 49.7 sq mi of land work out to 5,538 people/sq mi; the state average is 253 people/sq mi.

It’s the 15th most populous of the 1,617 places the Census counts in California (cities, towns and CDPs), after Los Angeles (3,869,089), and holds 0.7% of the state’s population.

It lies entirely within San Diego County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 4.1 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.

Compared with other big cities

Chula Vista sits at 66 ft (20 m) above sea level. Of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people, the highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft). The average is 858 ft: Chula Vista is 792 ft below it.

The state capital, Sacramento, is 479 mi away in a straight line and 39 ft lower than Chula Vista.

Of the 15 cities in California with a page, Chula Vista is the 8th highest: the highest is Riverside (829 ft) and the lowest is Stockton (12 ft).

The highest point in California is Mount Whitney, at 14,494 ft according to the USGS: 14,428 ft above Chula Vista, 281 mi away in a straight line.

  1. 64 Orlando 103 ft
  2. 65 San Jose 81 ft
  3. 66 Chula Vista 66 ft
  4. 67 San Diego 63 ft
  5. 68 San Francisco 55 ft

Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list

Nearest cities with a page

Tools for this place

Elevation profile Draw a route from Chula Vista and see how much it climbs and drops. Elevation of a point Compare the elevation of Chula Vista with any other point on the map. Map of San Diego County The county on the map with all its cities and towns, ready to print or download. Time zone The time right now in Chula Vista and its clock changes. What county am I in? See which county, city and ZIP code you’re in, from your location. Blank map of California counties Print it blank, with names or to color in.

Frequently asked questions

What people most often ask about the elevation of Chula Vista.

What is the elevation of Chula Vista?

Chula Vista is 66 feet (20 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.

What are the coordinates of Chula Vista?

Latitude 32.64000 and longitude -117.08417, in decimal degrees (32° 38′ 24″ N · 117° 5′ 3″ W). In UTM, zone 11: 492,106 E and 3,611,382 N, on NAD83.

How does Chula Vista rank among the highest big cities?

It’s the 26th lowest of the 91 US cities with more than 250,000 people. The highest is Colorado Springs (6,009 ft) and the lowest is New Orleans (0 ft).

What county is Chula Vista in?

San Diego County, California.

Which is higher, Chula Vista or Sacramento?

Chula Vista. Chula Vista sits at 66 ft and Sacramento at 27 ft: a difference of 39 ft, 479 mi apart in a straight line.

How is elevation measured?

Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.

Sources

  • USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
  • USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
  • TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
  • timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
  • Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).

Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know