Chicago, United States → San Francisco, United States
1,612 nautical miles · Direction: southwest
The straight-line distance from Chicago to San Francisco is 2,985 km (1,855 miles). San Francisco lies roughly west of Chicago; the initial great-circle bearing is 273° (W). It is a domestic route within United States.
Chicago (Midwest, United States) sits at 41.8781°N, 87.6298°W; San Francisco (West Coast, United States) is at 37.7749°N, 122.4194°W. The initial great-circle bearing is 273° (W); on a great circle the heading changes along the way.
| Mode | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Flight | ~4h 14min | Estimate: 800 km/h + 30 min taxi. Not a schedule; total trip time is longer. |
| 🚗 Road | ~3,880 km · ~48h 30min | Rough estimate: straight line × 1.3 at 80 km/h. Not live routing. |
Rough road-length estimate for Chicago to San Francisco: about 3,880 km. This is an estimate, not a routed drive — the actual road distance depends on the road network, crossings and the route chosen.
The geographic halfway point of the great-circle path between Chicago and San Francisco lies at approximately 41.1496°N, 105.5608°W — the position that is an equal 1,493 km from each city along that path. It is a geometric midpoint, not a halfway point by road.
San Francisco (America/Los_Angeles) is 2 hours behind Chicago (America/Chicago) all year; daylight saving does not change the gap.
All distances from Chicago · All distances from San Francisco
The straight-line distance from Chicago to San Francisco is approximately 2,985 km (1,855 miles, 1,612 nautical miles).
San Francisco lies roughly west of Chicago; the initial great-circle bearing is 273° (W).
Estimated flight time is about 4h 14min (great-circle distance at 800 km/h plus 30 min for taxi, take-off and landing). It is not an airline schedule; total airport-to-airport trip time is longer.
Rough road-length estimate for Chicago to San Francisco: about 3,880 km. This is an estimate, not a routed drive — the actual road distance depends on the road network, crossings and the route chosen.
San Francisco (America/Los_Angeles) is 2 hours behind Chicago (America/Chicago) all year; daylight saving does not change the gap.
Straight-line distance uses the great-circle (Haversine) method. Flight and road figures, where shown, are estimates rather than schedules or live routing. How SnapDistance calculates distances