Long Beach is roughly 20–25 miles (about 30–40 km) from central Los Angeles, usually a 25–40 minute drive in normal traffic.

Quick Scoop

Basic distance

  • Straight‑line (city center to city center): about 20 miles / 32 km.
  • Typical driving distance: about 20–25 miles / 32–33 km, depending on your exact start and end points.
  • Usual drive time in light to moderate traffic: around 25–30 minutes.

Why answers vary

  • “Los Angeles” could mean:
    • Downtown LA (DTLA)
    • Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
    • Other LA neighborhoods spread across a very large metro area
  • Different routes (I‑710, I‑405, I‑110) add a few miles one way or the other, so you’ll see ranges like 20.2 miles, 24.8 miles, or “about 20–25 miles.”

Real‑world travel feel

If you’re just sanity‑checking a trip, it’s fair to think of Long Beach as “about half an hour from LA by car” in typical conditions, but heavy rush‑hour traffic can easily push that closer to 45–60 minutes. TL;DR: Long Beach is about 20 miles (32 km) from Los Angeles, and you should budget roughly half an hour to drive between them when traffic isn’t too bad.