Car hire and driving in San Francisco
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 SFO means 18 km (11 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.
Drives from San Francisco
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco to Hayward | United States | 32 km (20 mi) | about 26 min |
| San Francisco to Vallejo | United States | 39 km (24 mi) | about 32 min |
| San Francisco to Concord | United States | 41 km (25 mi) | about 33 min |
| San Francisco to Fremont | United States | 46 km (28 mi) | about 37 min |
| San Francisco to Sunnyvale | United States | 56 km (35 mi) | about 46 min |
| San Francisco to Antioch | United States | 60 km (37 mi) | about 48 min |
| San Francisco to Santa Clara | United States | 62 km (39 mi) | about 51 min |
| San Francisco to Fairfield | United States | 62 km (39 mi) | about 51 min |
| San Francisco to San Jose | United States | 67 km (42 mi) | about 54 min |
| San Francisco to Santa Rosa | United States | 78 km (49 mi) | about 1 h 4 min |
| San Francisco to Stockton | United States | 101 km (63 mi) | about 1 h 22 min |
| San Francisco to Elk Grove | United States | 116 km (72 mi) | about 1 h 34 min |
| San Francisco to Los Angeles | United States | 559 km (347 mi) | about 7 h 35 min |
| San Francisco to Tijuana | Mexico | 765 km (476 mi) | about 10 h 22 min |
| San Francisco to Phoenix | United States | 1,051 km (653 mi) | about 14 h 15 min |
| San Francisco to Ciudad Juárez | Mexico | 1,603 km (996 mi) | about 21 h 44 min |
| San Francisco to San Diego | United States | 737 km (458 mi) | about 10 h |
| San Francisco to Calgary | Canada | 1,615 km (1,004 mi) | about 21 h 54 min |
| San Francisco to Mexicali | Mexico | 853 km (530 mi) | about 11 h 34 min |
| San Francisco to Hermosillo | Mexico | 1,434 km (891 mi) | about 19 h 26 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 Francisco?
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.