Our cheapest offers for flights from Chicago to San Francisco

Here you can compare cheap flights from Chicago (CHI) to San Francisco (SFO) for one-way or return trips. The following offers were searched for and found on idealo during the last few days. Or start your own flight search to San Francisco. Prices and availability may change at any time.

	Outbound	Return	Airlines	Baggage	Price
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 09/25/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F91483, F91229 28h 15min	Return 10/05/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F93440, F93172 26h 52min	Frontier Airlines		$156
Best option Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 11/09/25 direct UA2628 04h 49min	Return 12/07/25 direct UA2231 04h 23min	United Airlines	?	$284
Chicago San Francisco Pay attention to transfer at connecting flight	Outbound 11/09/25 1 Stopover (MSP) SY0262, SY0395 25h 10min	Return 12/07/25 2 Stopovers (MSP, MCO) SY0396, SY0341, NK2530 25h 05min	Sun Country Airlines		$431
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 09/25/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F91483, F93439 20h 16min	Return 10/05/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F93440, F93174 12h 30min	Frontier Airlines	?	$165
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 09/25/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F91483, F91229 09h 17min	Return 10/05/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F93440, F93172 26h 52min	Frontier Airlines	?	$185
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 09/25/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F91483, F91229 09h 17min	Return 10/05/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F93440, F93174 12h 30min	Frontier Airlines		$187
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 09/25/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F91483, F91229 09h 17min	Return 10/05/25 1 Stopover (ATL) F91448, F91441 09h 31min	Frontier Airlines		$202
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 11/09/25 direct UA1406 04h 45min	Return 12/07/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F93440, F93172 20h 41min	United Airlines	?	$208
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 09/25/25 1 Stopover (DEN) F91483, F91229 09h 17min	Return 10/05/25 1 Stopover (SAN) AS1458, AS1188 11h 47min	Frontier Airlines	?	$288
Chicago San Francisco	Outbound 11/09/25 direct UA2628 04h 49min	Return 12/07/25 direct UA2091 04h 24min	United Airlines		$302

Tips and tricks to help you find cheap flights from Chicago to San Francisco

Useful information about the flight from Chicago to San Francisco

Flights from Chicago to San Francisco

The flight route from Chicago (CHI) to San Francisco (SFO) is popular among all sorts of travelers- both business passengers and those simply seeking the refuge of Californian weather- with between 17 and 26 flights daily. It will take you just under 5 hours to travel the 1850 miles across the country. Airlines offering a direct flight are: American, Virgin America, Southwest and United.

Cheap flights

There are several airlines offering a low-cost air ticket option so that you can have more to spend on your trip. For the lowest price, book flight tickets as far in advance as possible, while trying to avoid weekends and popular vacation times. Comparing prices on a flight price comparison will also help you find the lowest price.

Destination San Francisco

Once you have landed, getting around town is easy and, given that it's San Francisco, often stylish. A rail service is operated by BART in the form of express trains that go to the north, to downtown as well as East Bay. The railway station can be found near the International Terminal and can be reached by riding the AirTrain. Caltrain provides rail service between San Francisco and San Jose, with weekday commute-hour service to Gilroy. Buses, taxis and shuttles will also take passengers from the airport to various destinations in the region.

Important flight information

Flight information: Chicago - San Francisco

Roundtrip from	$155.82
Flight duration	min. 04:33 / max. 11:40
Return flight duration	min. 03:53/ max. 07:10
Distance	2990 km
Flights per week	134
Departure airport	Airport Chicago-IL, all airports (CHI)
Arrival airport	Airport San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO)
Destination country	Flights to United States

Alternative routes to United States