Car hire and driving in San Mateo
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 8 km (5 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q533806.
Drives from San Mateo
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Mateo to Oakland | United States | 27 km (17 mi) | about 22 min |
| San Mateo to Fremont | United States | 30 km (18 mi) | about 24 min |
| San Mateo to Sunnyvale | United States | 33 km (21 mi) | about 27 min |
| San Mateo to Berkeley | United States | 35 km (22 mi) | about 28 min |
| San Mateo to Santa Clara | United States | 40 km (25 mi) | about 33 min |
| San Mateo to Richmond | United States | 41 km (26 mi) | about 34 min |
| San Mateo to San Jose | United States | 45 km (28 mi) | about 37 min |
| San Mateo to Concord | United States | 53 km (33 mi) | about 43 min |
| San Mateo to Vallejo | United States | 60 km (38 mi) | about 49 min |
| San Mateo to Antioch | United States | 67 km (42 mi) | about 55 min |
| San Mateo to Fairfield | United States | 80 km (50 mi) | about 1 h 5 min |
| San Mateo to Stockton | United States | 101 km (63 mi) | about 1 h 22 min |
| San Mateo to Los Angeles | United States | 536 km (333 mi) | about 7 h 16 min |
| San Mateo to Tijuana | Mexico | 742 km (461 mi) | about 10 h 4 min |
| San Mateo to Phoenix | United States | 1,034 km (642 mi) | about 14 h 1 min |
| San Mateo to Ciudad Juárez | Mexico | 1,587 km (986 mi) | about 21 h 31 min |
| San Mateo to San Diego | United States | 714 km (444 mi) | about 9 h 41 min |
| San Mateo to Calgary | Canada | 1,634 km (1,016 mi) | about 22 h 9 min |
| San Mateo to Mexicali | Mexico | 831 km (517 mi) | about 11 h 16 min |
| San Mateo to Hermosillo | Mexico | 1,413 km (878 mi) | about 19 h 9 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 Mateo?
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.