Los Angeles to San Francisco distance

Los Angeles to San Francisco by road

The fastest driving route is 382 miles (615 km) long and takes about 7 hr 10 min without stops or traffic. It runs mostly on I-5 (292 mi), I-580 (61.0 mi), and US 101 (16.4 mi).

The whole route stays in California. That’s an average of 54 mph (86 km/h). AAA recommends a break every two hours or 100 miles: with 3 stops of 20 minutes, the trip takes about 8 hr 10 min. 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 San Francisco are 347 miles (559 km) apart. That’s the geodesic on the WGS84 ellipsoid, the distance “as the crow flies”.

The road is 10% longer: for every 100 miles in a straight line you drive 110. The route runs almost straight. Of the 40 US pairs in this series, it ranks 29th for detour (the average is 14%).

From Los Angeles, San Francisco lies to the northwest (bearing 319°), and from San Francisco, Los Angeles lies to the southeast. The straight line reaches San Francisco on a bearing of 316°: 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 San Francisco

Halfway along the straight line, 174 miles (280 km) from each city, is the point 35.9321° N, 120.2826° W. It falls near Whitley Gardens (California, pop. 244), 22.9 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is East Niles (California, pop. 28,532), 85.8 mi away.

By road, the halfway point is 191 miles (307 km) from each city, near Westside (California, pop. 234), 16.8 mi away. The nearest town of 20,000 people or more is East Niles (California, pop. 28,532), 89.5 mi away. The two midpoints are 16.9 mi apart: if you want to meet halfway, the one on the road is the useful one.

Time zone and flight

Los Angeles and San Francisco share the same time all year: both are on Pacific Time.

A direct flight would take about 1 hr 10 min. That’s an estimate: 30 minutes for takeoff, climb, descent and landing, plus the 559 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.

The two cities

Los Angeles sits at 284 ft (87 m) and San Francisco at 55 ft (17 m), 229 ft (70 m) lower.

Los Angeles has 3.9 million people and San Francisco 826,079 people (Census Bureau estimate for 2025).