Cheap flights from San Francisco to Chicago from $162

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 15/12. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SFO — CHI
18 Oct — 25 Oct1
1 adult
1 adult, Economy

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 18 September 2025.

Round-trip from

$315

One-way from

$162

Popular in

December

Cheapest in

February

Average price

$475
Alaska Airlines
  • Alaska Airlines
  • 10/12-15/12
  • 3 total stops
  • 25h 51m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
Hawaiian Airlines
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • 15/12
  • 1 total stop
  • 14h 12m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
Highest demand for flights based on searches. 9% potential increase in price ($78 potential increase over avg. return price).
Cheapest flight prices on average. 3% potential price decrease ($24 potential savings vs. average return price).
Average for round-trip flights in September 2025

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 18 September 2025.

Wed 10/1210:06SFO - ORD
2 stops11h 44mAlaska Airlines
Mon 15/1219:59ORD - SFO
1 stop14h 07mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 16/9$315
Fri 12/1207:00SFO - ORD
1 stop9h 54mAlaska Airlines
Mon 15/1219:59ORD - SFO
1 stop14h 07mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 17/9$316
Wed 10/1208:09SFO - ORD
1 stop8h 45mHawaiian Airlines
Tue 16/1215:05ORD - SFO
1 stop8h 41mHawaiian Airlines
Deal found 16/9$327
Sat 1/1107:00SFO - ORD
1 stop14h 59mAlaska Airlines
Tue 4/1109:20ORD - SFO
2 stops10h 07mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 17/9$355
Tue 21/1010:26SFO - ORD
1 stop11h 33mAlaska Airlines
Wed 12/1109:20ORD - SFO
1 stop14h 41mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 16/9$357
Thu 11/1208:09SFO - ORD
1 stop8h 45mHawaiian Airlines
Mon 15/1215:05ORD - SFO
1 stop8h 41mHawaiian Airlines
Deal found 16/9$364
Tue 14/1010:26SFO - ORD
1 stop11h 33mAlaska Airlines
Sat 18/1017:59ORD - SFO
1 stop17h 17mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 17/9$375
Fri 10/1012:00SFO - ORD
1 stop9h 59mAlaska Airlines
Wed 15/1019:59ORD - SFO
1 stop14h 06mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 17/9$376
Fri 31/1007:00SFO - ORD
1 stop14h 59mAlaska Airlines
Tue 4/1108:00ORD - SFO
2 stops11h 27mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 17/9$384
Tue 21/1010:26SFO - ORD
1 stop11h 33mAlaska Airlines
Thu 6/1114:54ORD - SFO
1 stop9h 07mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 17/9$385

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 18 September 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

Wed 10/12

08:09-18:54

1 stop8h 45m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Tue 16/12

15:05-21:46

1 stop8h 41m

$327

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Tue 4/11

10:35-23:59

1 stop11h 24m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Fri 7/11

14:54-22:18

1 stop9h 24m

$357

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 17/12

08:09-18:54

1 stop8h 45m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Thu 15/1

14:59-23:33

1 stop10h 34m

$375

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Thu 11/12

06:00-17:18

1 stop9h 18m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Mon 15/12

14:14-22:31

1 stop10h 17m

$391

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Tue 14/10

10:26-23:59

1 stop11h 33m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 25/10

06:00-13:44

1 stop9h 44m

$417

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 5/11

07:00-23:59

1 stop14h 59m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 8/11

20:59-08:50

1 stop13h 51m

$417

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 17/12

08:09-18:54

1 stop8h 45m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Fri 16/1

14:59-20:04

1 stop7h 05m

$420

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 22/10

00:35-08:30

1 stop5h 55m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 25/10

07:37-16:05

1 stop10h 28m

$433

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Fri 31/10

00:35-11:28

1 stop8h 53m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 8/11

15:50-23:33

2 stops9h 43m

$441

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sat 11/10

06:30-13:05

Nonstop4h 35m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 11/10

19:40-22:31

Nonstop4h 51m

$445

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 16/9

Showing 1-10 of 24 results
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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 12 September 2025.

The best time to book flights from San Francisco to Chicago is 71 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 18 September 2025.

When flying from San Francisco to Chicago, the time of day you decide to fly out makes little to no difference towards the overall price you’ll pay on tickets.

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 18 September 2025.

The most flights from SFO to CHI are scheduled on a Thursday (91 on average). You will have fewer flight options on Saturday, which is when the least amount of flights are scheduled (55 on average).

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 77 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.

  • How long is the flight from San Francisco to Chicago?

    Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines can get you from San Francisco to Chicago in just under 8h 45m. Your travel time can differ by up to . The distance between San Francisco and Chicago is about 2963 km.

  • 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: ITA Airways (100%), Fiji Airways (83%), Asiana Airlines( 83%).

  • 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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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.

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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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