California
Distance from Costa Mesa to Santa Ana
Straight-line distance
5.2mi
Costa Mesa, CA and Santa Ana, CA are 5.2 miles (8.3 km) apart in a straight line. From Costa Mesa, the shortest path starts out heading NNE (19°).
- kilometers
- 8.3
- nautical miles
- 4.5
- heading from Costa Mesa
- 19° NNE
- heading from Santa Ana
- 199° SSW
Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders
How far Costa Mesa is from Santa Ana
The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Costa Mesa and Santa Ana is 5.2 miles, 8.3 km or 4.5 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 5.1 miles, practically the same at this range.
Measurements
- Miles
- 5.2
- Kilometers
- 8.3
- Nautical miles
- 4.5
- Bearing from Costa Mesa
- 19.2° NNE
- Bearing arriving at Santa Ana
- 19.2°
- Bearing from Santa Ana
- 199.2° SSW
Halfway between Costa Mesa and Santa Ana
The great-circle midpoint is at 33.701101, -117.897606 (33°42'3.96"N 117°53'51.38"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Santa Ana, CA, with 316,184 residents, 2.5 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.
Time zones and daylight
Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Costa Mesa gets 14 h 24 min of daylight and Santa Ana 14 h 24 min; on December 21, 9 h 55 min and 9 h 55 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.
Population compared
Santa Ana has 2.9 times the population of Costa Mesa. From July 2020 to July 2024, Costa Mesa changed by -2.6% and Santa Ana by +1.6%. Both are in California.
- 01Costa Mesa, CA109,131 (-2.6%)
- 02Santa Ana, CA316,184 (+1.6%)
Questions people ask
How far is Costa Mesa from Santa Ana?
5.2 miles, 8.3 km or 4.5 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.
Which direction is Santa Ana from Costa Mesa?
NNE. The great-circle path leaves Costa Mesa on a bearing of 19.2° and arrives at Santa Ana on 19.2°. The return trip starts on 199.2°.
What is halfway between Costa Mesa and Santa Ana?
The midpoint is at 33.701101, -117.897606. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Santa Ana, CA, 2.5 miles from it.
Is there a time difference between Costa Mesa and Santa Ana?
Both use America/Los_Angeles, so there is no time difference.
Which is bigger, Costa Mesa or Santa Ana?
Santa Ana, with 316,184 residents in July 2024 against 109,131 for Costa Mesa, 2.9 times as many.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.
- 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
- 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
- 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
- 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.