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Cheap flights from San Francisco to Chicago from $158

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 13/5. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SFO — CHI
17 Apr — 24 Apr1
1 adult

Cheapflights Tip: The best prices from San Francisco to Chicago are usually found in February or April, booked 76 days in advance, depart on a Tuesday or Monday 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 12 April 2025.

Round-trip from

$338

One-way from

$158

Popular in

December

Cheapest in

February

Average price

$488

Good one-way deal

$237 or less
Alaska Airlines
  • Alaska Airlines
  • 10/5-10/5
  • 1 total stop
  • 13h 29m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
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United Airlines
  • United Airlines
  • 13/5
  • Nonstop
  • 4h 20m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
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Highest demand for flights based on searches. 5% potential increase in price ($53 potential increase over avg. return price).
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Cheapest flight prices on average. 2% potential price decrease ($24 potential savings vs. average return price).
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Average for round-trip flights in April 2025
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Price to beat on a one-way flight from San Francisco to Chicago (CHI).
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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 12 April 2025.

Sun 25/519:55SFO - ORD
1 stop7h 45mAlaska Airlines
Thu 29/519:59ORD - SFO
Nonstop4h 50mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 10/4$333
Tue 6/511:50SFO - ORD
1 stop8h 30mSouthwest
Wed 7/506:15ORD - SFO
1 stop6h 50mSouthwest
Deal found 10/4$346
Tue 20/507:00SFO - ORD
1 stop9h 55mHawaiian Airlines
Sat 24/519:59ORD - SFO
Nonstop4h 50mHawaiian Airlines
Deal found 11/4$357
Sat 17/513:20SFO - ORD
Nonstop4h 19mUnited Airlines
Tue 20/510:35ORD - SFO
Nonstop4h 58mUnited Airlines
Deal found 11/4$373
Thu 12/600:49SFO - ORD
1 stop5h 36mDelta
Sun 15/607:40ORD - SFO
1 stop6h 32mDelta
Deal found 10/4$411
Thu 18/918:18SFO - ORD
1 stop15h 14mSun Country Air
Mon 22/911:49ORD - SFO
1 stop7h 29mSun Country Air
Deal found 10/4$472

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 12 April 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

Sun 25/5

14:27-22:41

1 stop6h 14m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Wed 28/5

21:09-23:59

Nonstop4h 50m

$333

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sat 10/5

06:30-17:00

1 stop8h 30m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 10/5

19:13-22:12

Nonstop4h 59m

$338

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Tue 6/5

11:50-22:20

1 stop8h 30m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Wed 7/5

06:15-11:05

1 stop6h 50m

$346

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Tue 20/5

07:00-18:55

1 stop9h 55m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 24/5

19:59-22:49

Nonstop4h 50m

$357

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Thu 12/6

13:18-22:09

1 stop6h 51m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Tue 17/6

11:00-18:13

1 stop9h 13m

$411

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Thu 18/9

18:18-11:32

1 stop15h 14m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Mon 22/9

11:49-17:18

1 stop7h 29m

$472

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Tue 13/5

00:10-06:30

Nonstop4h 20m

$158

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Tue 1/7

22:45-12:45

1 stop12h 00m

$168

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Mon 15/9

19:49-05:40

1 stop7h 51m

$189

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Thu 29/5

11:49-23:56

1 stop10h 07m

$199

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 10/4

Showing 1-10 of 12 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 4 April 2025.

The best time to book flights from San Francisco to Chicago is 76 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 12 April 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 12 April 2025.

The most flights from SFO to CHI are scheduled on a Wednesday (84 on average). You will have fewer flight options on Saturday, which is when the least amount of flights are scheduled (54 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 12 April 2025.
See what other customers who have flown with Alaska Airlines, Southwest 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.
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very Good
9,857 reviews
Check prices

Food

7.1

Entertainment

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Crew

8.5

Overall

8.0

Comfort

7.9

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Cheri,Jan 2025

FAT - SEA

Very friendly. I really liked that they had water for us in cartons not plastic. Impressed with Alaska Airlines, First time I had flown them
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very Good
9,857 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very Good
9,857 reviews
Check prices

Food

7.1

Entertainment

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Crew

8.5

Overall

8.0

Comfort

7.9

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Cheri,Jan 2025

FAT - SEA

Very friendly. I really liked that they had water for us in cartons not plastic. Impressed with Alaska Airlines, First time I had flown them
Southwest
8.0
Very Good
4,277 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very Good
9,857 reviews
Check prices

Food

7.1

Entertainment

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Crew

8.5

Overall

8.0

Comfort

7.9

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Cheri,Jan 2025

FAT - SEA

Very friendly. I really liked that they had water for us in cartons not plastic. Impressed with Alaska Airlines, First time I had flown them
Delta
8.0
Very Good
7,913 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very Good
9,857 reviews
Check prices

Food

7.1

Entertainment

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Crew

8.5

Overall

8.0

Comfort

7.9

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Cheri,Jan 2025

FAT - SEA

Very friendly. I really liked that they had water for us in cartons not plastic. Impressed with Alaska Airlines, First time I had flown them
Hawaiian Airlines
7.9
Good
2,366 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very Good
9,857 reviews
Check prices

Food

7.1

Entertainment

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Crew

8.5

Overall

8.0

Comfort

7.9

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Cheri,Jan 2025

FAT - SEA

Very friendly. I really liked that they had water for us in cartons not plastic. Impressed with Alaska Airlines, First time I had flown them
United Airlines
7.4
Good
8,644 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very Good
9,857 reviews
Check prices

Food

7.1

Entertainment

7.1

Boarding

8.2

Crew

8.5

Overall

8.0

Comfort

7.9

Reviews

1 / 20
10.0
Excellent

Cheri,Jan 2025

FAT - SEA

Very friendly. I really liked that they had water for us in cartons not plastic. Impressed with Alaska Airlines, First time I had flown them

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 69 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 $338. Other airlines that can offer you cheap pricing are Southwest, from $346, and Hawaiian Airlines, from $357. You may be able to fly from San Francisco to Chicago for 37% 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 United Airlines. According to our data, you can fly for as low as $158. Users have also found prices from $168 and $189 on Southwest and Hawaiian 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%), Brussels Airlines (92%), Asiana Airlines( 91%).

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

    On average you can expect to pay $247 for a flight from San Francisco to Chicago. The cheapest flight overall is $156 while the most popular route, (San Francisco - Chicago O'Hare Intl) is currently priced at $375.

  • 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

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Los Angeles to O'Hare Intl flights
San Francisco to O'Hare Intl flights

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