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Cheap flights from San Francisco to Chicago from $191

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 9/12. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SFO — CHI
6 Dec — 13 Dec1
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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 6 November 2025.

Round-trip from

$444

One-way from

$191

Popular in

December

Cheapest in

February

Average price

$601
Delta
  • Delta
  • 9/12-16/12
  • 3 total stops
  • 25h 00m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
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Alaska Airlines
  • Alaska Airlines
  • 9/12
  • 2 total stops
  • 10h 15m total
  • San Francisco to Chicago
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Highest demand for flights based on searches. 9% potential increase in price ($84 potential increase over avg. return price).
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Cheapest flight prices on average. 2% potential price decrease ($22 potential savings vs. average return price).
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Average for round-trip flights in November 2025
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Find flight deals from San Francisco to Chicago

Enter your travel dates to find the best prices.

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 6 November 2025.

Tue 9/1210:30SFO - ORD
1 stop11h 29mDelta
Tue 16/1211:00ORD - SFO
2 stops13h 31mDelta
Deal found 4/11$444
Mon 24/1106:00SFO - ORD
1 stop9h 18mDelta
Wed 3/1207:50ORD - SFO
1 stop16h 41mDelta
Deal found 4/11$447
Mon 8/1200:30SFO - ORD
1 stop6h 10mDelta
Thu 18/1207:50ORD - SFO
1 stop10h 07mDelta
Deal found 4/11$448
Fri 12/1208:09SFO - ORD
1 stop13h 41mAlaska Airlines
Sun 14/1208:55ORD - SFO
1 stop14h 51mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 4/11$450
Fri 5/1208:09SFO - ORD
1 stop13h 41mAlaska Airlines
Mon 8/1220:59ORD - SFO
1 stop13h 07mAlaska Airlines
Deal found 4/11$451
Tue 2/1210:30SFO - ORD
2 stops8h 51mDelta
Wed 3/1207:50ORD - SFO
2 stops10h 22mDelta
Deal found 5/11$453
Thu 27/1106:00SFO - ORD
1 stop9h 21mDelta
Wed 3/1207:50ORD - SFO
2 stops10h 22mDelta
Deal found 5/11$454
Thu 11/1212:37SFO - ORD
1 stop9h 24mDelta
Mon 15/1207:20ORD - SFO
2 stops10h 37mDelta
Deal found 4/11$456
Thu 11/1213:58SFO - ORD
1 stop8h 01mDelta
Tue 16/1211:00ORD - SFO
2 stops13h 31mDelta
Deal found 4/11$459
Fri 5/1200:30SFO - ORD
1 stop9h 13mDelta
Tue 9/1215:50ORD - SFO
1 stop6h 38mDelta
Deal found 3/11$461
Wed 31/1200:10SFO - ORD
1 stop7h 15mDelta
Sat 31/107:30ORD - SFO
1 stop8h 13mDelta
Deal found 3/11$462
Fri 5/1200:30SFO - ORD
1 stop8h 03mDelta
Mon 8/1214:14ORD - SFO
1 stop10h 17mDelta
Deal found 4/11$464

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 6 November 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

Thu 11/12

14:50-21:07

Nonstop4h 17m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Mon 15/12

18:35-21:29

Nonstop4h 54m

$467

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Thu 29/1

10:30-21:52

2 stops9h 22m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Mon 9/2

07:30-16:10

2 stops10h 40m

$468

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 19/11

10:35-23:59

1 stop11h 24m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Tue 2/12

20:59-08:06

1 stop13h 07m

$470

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sun 14/12

07:00-23:50

1 stop14h 50m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Thu 1/1

08:39-00:27

1 stop17h 48m

$473

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Mon 8/12

10:30-21:21

2 stops8h 51m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sat 13/12

07:50-16:12

2 stops10h 22m

$484

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sun 7/12

00:30-08:40

1 stop6h 10m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Fri 12/12

06:00-15:57

2 stops11h 57m

$490

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sun 4/1

00:47-08:40

1 stop5h 53m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Tue 6/1

08:50-13:47

1 stop6h 57m

$538

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sun 4/1

00:47-08:40

1 stop5h 53m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sun 18/1

07:30-13:38

1 stop8h 08m

$541

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Wed 17/12

05:45-18:45

2 stops11h 00m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Sun 18/1

08:50-17:49

2 stops10h 59m

$545

San FranciscoChicago

SFO - ORD

SFOORD

San Francisco

Sat 13/12

15:33-06:21

2 stops12h 48m

Chicago O'Hare Intl

Thu 1/1

08:39-00:27

1 stop17h 48m

$565

Flights are sorted by cheapest return flights first.

Deals found on 6/11

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 31 October 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 month to book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago?

Currently, December is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago (average of $171). Flying from San Francisco to Chicago in March is currently the most expensive (average of $299). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

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 6 November 2025.

Unlike at midday, when flights are generally more expensive, you can save up to 35% on flights from San Francisco to Chicago by exploring options for tickets in the afternoon.

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 6 November 2025.

The most flights from SFO to CHI are scheduled on a Thursday (69 on average). You will have fewer flight options on Sunday, which is when the least amount of flights are scheduled (40 on average).

How much does it cost for a return flight from San Francisco to Chicago?

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 51 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?

    United Airlines, Delta, and Alaska Airlines can get you from San Francisco to Chicago in just under 4h 17m. Your travel time can differ by up to 10h 33m. The distance between San Francisco and Chicago is about 2963 km. This flight may include one or multiple stops.

  • 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: China Southern (100%), Fiji Airways (92%), Asiana Airlines( 91%).

  • 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.

  • What is the cheapest month to book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago?

    Currently, December is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from San Francisco to Chicago (average of $171). Flying from San Francisco to Chicago in March is currently the most expensive (average of $299). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

See more FAQs

Browse thousands of different options on Cheapflights for your next trip

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

Fly with Cheapflights

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

Cheapflights makes it easy to find San Francisco to Chicago flights by helping our users search from 900+ travel sites for deals. We also provide you with filters for cabin, price, airline, airports, number of stops, and many more to narrow down that perfect flight.

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

Cheapflights taps into our reliable network of hundreds of airlines and travel agencies to find the best deals for flights from San Francisco to Chicago for you. Better yet — we are completely free to use.

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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