Costa Mesa: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Costa Mesa is a city of 113,204 people in United States (California), 33 m (108 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Open Costa Mesa in Google Maps
Daylight in Costa Mesa runs from about 9 h 58 min a day in late December to 14 h 26 min in late June (computed for 33.64° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Costa Mesa is served by 6 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 5,700 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Long Beach International Airport (LGB, 29 km), Ontario International Airport (ONT, 55 km), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX, 56 km), Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport (BUR, 74 km), San Bernardino International Airport (SBD, 81 km).
Flights to Costa Mesa: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Costa Mesa · Driving and car hire
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Orange County Museum of Art | 60,000 | — |
The busiest is Orange County Museum of Art at 60,000 visitors. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Costa Mesa
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Los Angeles, 55 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Tijuana, 153 km (Mexico) — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- San Diego, 125 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Mexicali, 256 km (Mexico) — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Las Vegas, 379 km — flights
- Fresno, 384 km — flights
- Long Beach, 29 km — car rental · tours
- Ensenada, 232 km (Mexico) — flights · tours
- Bakersfield, 217 km — flights
- Anaheim, 22 km — tours
Common questions
Which airport serves Costa Mesa?
John Wayne Orange County International Airport (SNA), 6 km (4 mi) from the centre, plus 5 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Costa Mesa?
About 113,204 people live in Costa Mesa, across 41 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Costa Mesa in?
America/Los_Angeles, currently UTC-7.
What currency is used in Costa Mesa?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Costa Mesa?
Los Angeles (55 km), Tijuana (153 km), San Diego (125 km), Mexicali (256 km), Las Vegas (379 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.