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Cheap flights from San Francisco to Chicago from $157

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a Cheapflights user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight departing on 30/4. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SFO — CHI
30 Mar — 6 Apr1
1 adult

Cheapflights Tip: The best prices from San Francisco to Chicago are usually found in February or April, booked 83 days in advance, depart on a Monday or Tuesday and return on a Thursday

Cheap flight deals from San Francisco to Chicago

Discover tips and strategies to find the most affordable flight options for your journey from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (CHI). Learn about various techniques such as flexible date searches, comparing prices across and setting up price alerts. Use these methods to find the cheapest flights available for your travel needs. Data last updated 25 March 2025.

Round-trip from

$344

One-way from

$157

Popular in

December

Cheapest in

February

Average price

$557

Good one-way deal

$154 or less
Southwest
  • Southwest
  • 15/4-16/4
  • 2 total stops
  • 15h 10m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
Hawaiian Airlines
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • 6/5
  • Nonstop
  • 4h 32m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
Highest demand for flights based on searches. 5% potential increase in price ($49 potential increase over avg. return price).
Cheapest flight prices on average. 2% potential price decrease ($24 potential savings vs. average return price).
Average for round-trip flights in March 2025
Price to beat on a one-way flight from San Francisco to Chicago (CHI).

Find flight deals from San Francisco to Chicago

Cheapest flights from San Francisco to Chicago
Explore the most affordable flight options available from San Francisco to Chicago. Find the lowest fares from popular airlines and budget airlines, with prices last updated on 25 March 2025.

Wed 30/412:35SFO - ORD
1 stop8h 30mSouthwest
Sat 3/517:25ORD - SFO
1 stop6h 55mSouthwest
Deal found 25/3$344
Mon 28/420:09SFO - ORD
1 stop7h 56mAlaska Airlines
Sat 3/519:13ORD - SFO
Nonstop4h 59mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 24/3$345
Fri 2/500:47SFO - ORD
1 stop8h 20mAmerican Airlines
Tue 6/521:00ORD - SFO
Nonstop4h 49mAmerican Airlines
Deal found 24/3$347
Wed 21/512:55SFO - ORD
1 stop6h 22mUnited Airlines
Sun 25/506:48ORD - SFO
Nonstop4h 43mUnited Airlines
Deal found 24/3$388
Thu 1/518:09SFO - ORD
1 stop23h 00mSun Country Air
Mon 12/520:05ORD - SFO
1 stop23h 08mSun Country Air
Deal found 25/3$406
Sat 19/407:10SFO - ORD
1 stop7h 12mDelta
Sat 26/413:31ORD - SFO
1 stop8h 44mDelta
Deal found 24/3$407
Fri 11/411:52SFO - ORD
Nonstop4h 24mHawaiian Airlines
Fri 18/418:56ORD - SFO
Nonstop4h 59mHawaiian Airlines
Deal found 25/3$425

Cheapflights Fare Finder

Customise your flight search to find flights from San Francisco to Chicago that fit within your specific budget. Explore options based on user searches and filter the results based on your desired price range. Find flights that match your budget for a cost-effective journey. Over the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made 647,157 searches. Data last updated 25 March 2025.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights from San Francisco to Chicago that are best for you.

Fly from

San Francisco

Fly to

Chicago

Route

Depart

Return

Price

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Tue 15/4

06:00-16:45

1 stop8h 45m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Wed 16/4

18:55-23:20

1 stop6h 25m

$344

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Mon 28/4

20:09-06:05

1 stop7h 56m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 3/5

19:13-22:12

Nonstop4h 59m

$345

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Fri 2/5

00:47-11:07

1 stop8h 20m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Tue 6/5

21:00-23:49

Nonstop4h 49m

$347

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 21/5

12:55-21:17

1 stop6h 22m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sun 25/5

06:48-09:31

Nonstop4h 43m

$388

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Thu 1/5

18:09-19:09

1 stop23h 00m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Mon 12/5

20:05-17:13

1 stop23h 08m

$406

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sat 19/4

07:10-16:22

1 stop7h 12m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 26/4

13:31-20:15

1 stop8h 44m

$407

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 2/7

12:03-23:39

1 stop9h 36m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Wed 16/7

19:18-22:06

Nonstop4h 48m

$450

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 30/4

11:48-18:20

Nonstop4h 32m

$157

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sat 5/7

06:25-17:55

1 stop9h 30m

$167

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Thu 1/5

23:20-05:45

Nonstop4h 25m

$173

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 25/3

Showing 1-10 of 14 results
1
2

Best time to book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago

Have a flexible travel schedule? Discover the best time to fly to Chicago from San Francisco with our price prediction graph.
Estimated return price
Rates are based on past data. Find the cheapest month and day to book your flight based on your travel requirements, then search for cheap deals.

Cheapflights Insights

Everything you need to know about your flight from San Francisco to Chicago

How far ahead should I book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago?

Use this chart to determine the optimal time to book a return flight from San Francisco to Chicago. Price data was last updated on 21 March 2025.

The best time to book flights from San Francisco to Chicago is 83 days before your desired departure date. The cost of your flight will likely increase significantly if you book two weeks in advance of your flight.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly from SFO to CHI?

Find hourly flight availability from San Francisco to Chicago. Discover flight options and departure times throughout the day, allowing you to choose a departure time that suits your schedule. Data last updated 25 March 2025.

Unlike in the afternoon, when flights are generally more expensive, you can save up to 9% on flights from San Francisco to Chicago by exploring options for tickets in the morning.

Weekly flight availability from San Francisco to Chicago

Explore weekly flight availability from San Francisco to Chicago. Discover flights operating on different days of the week, giving you the flexibility to choose a travel day that best fits your plans. Compare info to find the most convenient option for your journey. Data last updated 25 March 2025.

The most flights from SFO to CHI are scheduled on a Tuesday (61 on average). You will have fewer flight options on Sunday, which is when the least amount of flights are scheduled (14 on average).

Rainfall in Chicago by month

Plan your trip to Chicago by taking into account the average rainfall totals by month.

In terms of precipitation, rainfall in Chicago ranges from 43.0 - 125.0 inches per month. August is typically the wettest month, when rainfall can reach 125.0 mm. January is typically the driest time to visit Chicago when rainfall is around 43.0 mm.

Temperature in Chicago by month

Plan your trip to Chicago by taking into account the average temperature totals by month.

If weather is an important factor for your trip to Chicago, use this chart to help with planning. For those seeking warmer temperatures, July is the ideal time of year to visit, when temperatures reach an average of 23.0 C. Travellers hoping to avoid the cold should look outside of January, when temperatures are typically at their lowest (around -5.0 C).

Reviews of airlines servicing Chicago

Get insights into the airlines that provide service to Chicago. Read reviews, discover amenities, and learn about the overall travel experience offered by airlines. Use this information to make informed decisions when choosing an airline for your flight to Chicago. Reviews last updated 25 March 2025.
See what other customers who have flown with Southwest, Alaska Airlines and Delta from San Francisco to Chicago have to say. Users can see the overall rating for each airline as well as how each is rated in terms of entertainment options, comfort, food, crew/service, and boarding process.

Overall

8.1

Entertainment

7.6

Crew

8.6

Comfort

8.1

Food

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Merlyn,Feb 2025

LAX - SMF

New Terminal is neat, lost of stores and places to catch a bite.

Overall

8.1

Entertainment

7.6

Crew

8.6

Comfort

8.1

Food

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Merlyn,Feb 2025

LAX - SMF

New Terminal is neat, lost of stores and places to catch a bite.

Overall

8.1

Entertainment

7.6

Crew

8.6

Comfort

8.1

Food

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Merlyn,Feb 2025

LAX - SMF

New Terminal is neat, lost of stores and places to catch a bite.
8.0
Very Good

Overall

8.1

Entertainment

7.6

Crew

8.6

Comfort

8.1

Food

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Merlyn,Feb 2025

LAX - SMF

New Terminal is neat, lost of stores and places to catch a bite.

Overall

8.1

Entertainment

7.6

Crew

8.6

Comfort

8.1

Food

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Merlyn,Feb 2025

LAX - SMF

New Terminal is neat, lost of stores and places to catch a bite.

Overall

8.1

Entertainment

7.6

Crew

8.6

Comfort

8.1

Food

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Merlyn,Feb 2025

LAX - SMF

New Terminal is neat, lost of stores and places to catch a bite.

Related info for your journey

Find useful and relevant information for your journey from San Francisco to Chicago. Access travel guides, tips, and recommendations to enhance your travel experience. Get information about local attractions, weather, transportation options, and more.
  • What airport do you fly from for flights from San Francisco to Chicago?

    San Francisco (SFO) is the airport you will fly out of if you book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago. You should not have trouble finding flights to Chicago from San Francisco; the airport handles an average of 39 outbound flights to Chicago per day. You should also have plenty of airline options to choose from since 0 airlines have flights from the San Francisco airport to Chicago. It is only a 19.0 km journey to San Francisco (SFO) from San Francisco’s city centre.

  • What are the cheapest airlines flying from San Francisco to Chicago round-trip?

    Cheapflights users have booked flights from San Francisco to Chicago round-trip from $344. Other airlines that can offer you cheap pricing are Alaska Airlines, from $345, and American Airlines, from $347. You may be able to fly from San Francisco to Chicago for 36% less than the average price by searching for these airlines.

  • What are the cheapest airlines to fly from San Francisco to Chicago one-way?

    For one-way options, check prices for Hawaiian Airlines. According to our data, you can fly for as low as $157. Users have also found prices from $167 and $173 on Southwest and United Airlines, respectively.

  • What are the most reliable airlines from San Francisco to Chicago?

    Before booking your flight to Chicago from San Francisco, have a look at the most reliable airlines to get you to your destination on time: Royal Jordanian (99%), Asiana Airlines (97%), Brussels Airlines( 95%).

  • What are the cheapest flights from San Francisco to Chicago?

    On average you can expect to pay $154 for a flight from San Francisco to Chicago. The cheapest flight overall is $152 while the most popular route, (San Francisco - Chicago O'Hare Intl) is currently priced at $326.

  • Can I find deals for flights from San Francisco to Chicago that include hotel bookings?

    Yes. In addition to deals on San Francisco to Chicago flights, Cheapflights offers holiday packages that include both flights and hotel.

  • How can I find direct flights from San Francisco to Chicago?

    After entering your origin and destination, apply the non-stop filter on the search result page to find direct flights from San Francisco to Chicago.

  • Can I find deals for business class flights from San Francisco to Chicago?

    Yes. Cheapflights offers flight deals from San Francisco to Chicago by cabin class. In addition to browsing deals, you can also filter by cabin class on the search results page after making a search.

See more FAQs

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Alternative routes for San Francisco to Chicago

See prices for flight routes from nearby airports that may be better suited for you.

Fly with Cheapflights

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How does Cheapflights help users find flights from San Francisco to Chicago?

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Why should you use Cheapflights to find cheap flight tickets from San Francisco to Chicago?

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Can Cheapflights find flights from San Francisco to Chicago with no change fees?

Users can book flights with no change fees policies with our dedicated filters. Book flights from San Francisco to Chicago flexibly with Cheapflights today.

Can Cheapflights notify me if prices for flights from San Francisco to Chicago become cheaper?

Yes, and it’s super simple to set up. Click the bell icon next to the flight deals above and provide a valid email address to enable Price Alerts. That’s it!

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