Car hire and driving in San Diego
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In United States traffic drives on the right. Picking up at SAN means 3 km (2 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.
Drives from San Diego
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego to Tijuana | Mexico | 28 km (17 mi) | about 23 min |
| San Diego to Rosarito | Mexico | 41 km (25 mi) | about 33 min |
| San Diego to Escondido | United States | 45 km (28 mi) | about 37 min |
| San Diego to Carlsbad | United States | 52 km (32 mi) | about 42 min |
| San Diego to Vista | United States | 54 km (34 mi) | about 44 min |
| San Diego to Oceanside | United States | 57 km (35 mi) | about 46 min |
| San Diego to Temecula | United States | 87 km (54 mi) | about 1 h 10 min |
| San Diego to Murrieta | United States | 93 km (58 mi) | about 1 h 16 min |
| San Diego to Ensenada | Mexico | 108 km (67 mi) | about 1 h 28 min |
| San Diego to Irvine | United States | 122 km (76 mi) | about 1 h 40 min |
| San Diego to Costa Mesa | United States | 125 km (77 mi) | about 1 h 41 min |
| San Diego to Huntington Beach | United States | 131 km (81 mi) | about 1 h 46 min |
| San Diego to Los Angeles | United States | 179 km (111 mi) | about 2 h 26 min |
| San Diego to Phoenix | United States | 481 km (299 mi) | about 6 h 31 min |
| San Diego to Ciudad Juárez | Mexico | 1,013 km (629 mi) | about 13 h 44 min |
| San Diego to Mexicali | Mexico | 160 km (100 mi) | about 2 h 10 min |
| San Diego to San Jose | United States | 670 km (417 mi) | about 9 h 5 min |
| San Diego to Chihuahua | Mexico | 1,152 km (716 mi) | about 15 h 37 min |
| San Diego to San Francisco | United States | 737 km (458 mi) | about 10 h |
| San Diego to Hermosillo | Mexico | 716 km (445 mi) | about 9 h 42 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in San Diego?
The right, as everywhere in United States.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
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 13 September 2026. Hotel 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.