It's better to drive from Fair Oaks, CA to San Francisco, CA. The fly or drive score is:
325 / 74
Plan your trip at
What is the fly or drive score?
The fly or drive score is an estimate of the true cost
of travel. A lower score is better. Our score includes
factors like airline prices and fuel costs, but it also takes into
account the value of your time spent traveling. If you're taking time
off work because you have to drive an extra day, it might be better
to fly even if driving is technically cheaper. Tap on a
blue or
orange
value to customize it.
driving is cheaper
Number of travelers =
1 person
Enter the total number of travelers. This will be
used to calculate the sum of plane tickets for everyone, as well
as the number of cars you need if you're planning a road trip.
We assume a max of 4 passengers per car, but
you can change the number of cars if your situation is different.
Cheapest airfare =
$200.00 round trip
We estimated the cheapest price for a round trip plane
ticket from SMF
to SFO at
$200.
To change the price for your flight, enter it here:
Total airfare for all travelers =
$200.00
Extra costs (taxi or rental car) =
$0.00
Enter the total amount you're planning to spend
on extra costs for local transportation at your destination.
This might include a car rental to drive around the area, or
the cost of a cab or airport shuttle to get to your hotel.
You could also include an extra cost for food at the airport,
and any other miscellaneous spending along the way.
Enter your total estimate below.
Number of passengers =
1 person
Number of cars =
1 car
Enter the total number of cars you'll be
taking on the road trip. This will be used to calculate
the total cost of driving for everyone. The default is
a max of 4 passengers per car, but you
can adjust the number of cars to fit your situation.
Gas for each car =
$36.30 round trip
Fuel efficiency =
25 mpg
Enter the fuel efficiency of your vehicle in
miles per gallon (mpg). If you're unsure of the exact number,
you can look it up on the
fueleconomy.gov site.
Current gas price =
$4.45
Enter the average fuel price for your trip
in U.S. dollars. If you're taking a long road trip, the
gas price in each state may vary. Remember to adjust for
premium or diesel fuel prices.
Total fuel costs for all cars =
$36.30driving is shorter
Total Flight distance = 3,415 miles one-way
Driving distance = 102 miles one-way
driving is faster
Getting to
SMF airport =
53 minutes
We chose Sacramento International Airport (SMF) as your departure airport.
For your home location, this is the only nearby major
airport. If you are looking for another airport,
change your locations.
Enter the amount of time it takes you to get to the
departure airport. This can vary depending on whether you take a
cab, get a ride from a friend, or drive your own car. Make sure
you include extra time for parking if you are driving yourself.
Sacramento International Airport
Check-in/wait at the airport =
60 minutes
Enter the amount of time you plan to allow for
check-in at the airport. Some airlines require you to check-in
by a certain time if you haven't done it online beforehand.
Remember to leave enough time to get through security lines.
Flight time =
3 hours, 52 minutes
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
STL connection layover time =
60 minutes
We chose Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) as your connecting airport.
For your current route, this is the only major connecting
airport. If you are looking for another airport,
change your locations.
Enter the amount of time you plan to allow for
your layover at the connecting airport. Most people recommend
a minimum of an hour, but it might be better to increase
this time to allow for the distance between gates.
Connecting flight time =
4 hours, 15 minutes
San Francisco International Airport
Leaving
SFO airport =
33 minutes
Enter the amount of time it takes you to get to your
destination after you've landed at the arrival airport. This can vary
depending on whether you take a cab, get a ride from a friend, or drive
a rental car. Make sure you include extra time to get to the rental
agency and pick up the rental car if you are choosing that option.
We chose San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as your arrival airport.
You can change it to another nearby airport by selecting
one below. If the airport you want isn't listed,
try changing your destination.
Total travel time =
12 hours, 32 minutesDriving time =
1 hour, 43 minutes
Enter the total amount you're planning to spend
on hotel nights. We estimate you'll need to stay at a hotel
for every 12 hours of driving, and the average cost of a hotel
will be around $75. It doesn't really matter how many times
you stay overnight, the important thing is the total sum of
all of your hotel costs. Enter that number below.
Extra time for stops =
Extra costs (tolls, rental car) =
Wear and tear cost =
$0.10 per mile
Enter the amount per mile you want to use
to estimate the wear and tear on your car. This can vary
depending on your preference. Some companies might pay
50 cents per mile for business travel, and the IRS has
various rules for standard mileage rates. On the other
hand, you may want to focus more on typical maintenance
costs and depreciation, which might be closer to 10 cents
per mile. Set this to zero if you're renting a car.
Enter your wear and tear cost per mile below.
Total wear and tear =
$20.40driving is better
Value of time factor = $125.40
Value of time factor = $17.21
Driving is usually cheaper, but it takes a lot longer.
So in order to get a better comparison, we include a special "value of time
factor" that estimates how much your time is worth. If you take a day off
work for a long road trip instead of a quick flight, you might add up
your lost earnings. The default we use is $10/hr
but you can enter any value you want below. If there are multiple
travelers, you can enter the sum of everyone's value.
driving is the winner
Fly Score = 325
Drive Score = 74
Fly or drive from Fair Oaks, CA to San Francisco, CA
View a map with driving directions
using your preferred map provider:
Google Maps,
Bing Maps, or
MapQuest.
More trip calculations
Cost to fly or drive
You can adjust any of the settings above to
customize the calculation for your exact trip. We assume some
simple default values to get a quick answer to start.
The Fly Score is an estimate of
how much it would cost you to take a flight, including factors to
account for the value of your time getting to the airport, checking
in, and waiting for the plane to take off and land. The default
fly score is 325
from Fair Oaks, CA to San Francisco, CA.
The Drive Score is a comparable
calculation that estimates the total cost of doing a road trip.
You might spend less on gas than the price of airfare, but it could
take you longer to get there if you're driving. So we include the
value of your time spent in the car, as well as additional costs
for things like hotel, tolls, food, and whatever else you want
to include. The default drive score from Fair Oaks, CA to San Francisco, CA is
74.
So in this case, it's better to
drive from Fair Oaks, CA to San Francisco, CA.
It's significantly cheaper to drive on this trip, unless you made adjustments to the numbers above to alter the calculation.
If you end up driving, you'll go through about 4.1 gallons
of gas during this trip. This is equal to 15.4 litres.
If you fill your tank with unleaded gasoline,
the carbon emissions will be around 80 lbs CO2.
This is equivalent to 36 kg CO2e or 0.04 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.
These numbers may change depending on the exact make
and model of your car. If your vehicle uses diesel
instead, the CO2 emissions will be around 93 lbs CO2,
which is equivalent to 42 kg CO2e or 0.04 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents.
These results are based on the actual driving distance from Fair Oaks, CA to San Francisco, CA, which is 102 miles or 164 kilometers. You can also check the cost of driving from Fair Oaks, CA to San Francisco, CA.
Your trip begins in Fair Oaks, California.
The price of regular gas is currently averaging $4.45 in California.
Your trip ends in San Francisco, California.
The price of regular gas is around $4.45 in California.
Currently, we only have exact data for locations
in the United States. To improve the accuracy of your fuel cost
estimate, you can enter the actual price you pay for gas or petrol
at the local pump in the table above.
Fly or drive
Travelmath provides an online cost calculator to
help you determine whether it's better to fly or drive to your destination.
You can calculate the cost of getting to the airport and booking a flight
versus paying for gas and driving your own car or a rental car. There
are lots of other factors, like travel time, number of passengers, hotel
stops, and other details that can affect your decision. So while we
offer a quick "best case scenario" that is completely automated, you
also have the option to customize every detail to your particular needs.
Use this tool to find out if it's cheaper to fly or drive to your
destination!
