Los Angeles to Mexico City distance

Los Angeles to Mexico City by road

The fastest driving route is 1,908 miles (3,071 km) long and takes about 35 hr 45 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on the MEX 15 (1,265 mi) and I-10 (476 mi).

Of the 1,908 mi, 550 mi are in the United States and 1,357 mi are in Mexico. That’s an average of 53 mph (86 km/h). AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles: with 17 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 41 hr 25 min. At about 8 hours behind the wheel a day, it’s a 5-day drive. 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 Mexico City are 1,547 miles (2,490 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 23% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 123. That’s a normal detour between two cities. Of the 16 US–Canada and US–Mexico driving pairs in this series, it ranks 4th for detour (the average is 22%).

From Los Angeles, Mexico City lies to the southeast (bearing 126°), and from Mexico City, Los Angeles lies to the northwest. The straight line reaches Mexico City on a bearing of 134°: 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 Mexico City

Halfway along the straight line, 774 miles (1,245 km) from each city, is the point 27.0677° N, 108.0652° W. It falls near Urique (Chihuahua, Mexico, pop. 1,102), 13.5 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Navojoa (Sonora, Mexico, pop. 113,836), 84.9 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 954 miles (1,536 km) from each city, near Masiaca (Sonora, Mexico, pop. 1,514), 4.7 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is Huatabampo (Sonora, Mexico, pop. 30,475), 24.8 mi away. The two midpoints are 78.3 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time difference and flight

In winter, Mexico City is 2 hours ahead of Los Angeles; in summer, 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles. It changes because they don’t switch to summer time together.

A direct flight would take about 3 hr 35 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 2,490 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. Westbound flights usually take a little longer than eastbound ones because of high-altitude winds (the jet stream).

The two cities

Los Angeles has 3.9 million people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025) and Mexico City 12.3 million people (GeoNames).