Holiday travel: Cheapest way to get from SF to LA

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — Californians are getting ready to hit the road, hop on a plane, or catch a train for holiday vacations.

With gas prices painfully high at the pumps, KRON4 compared costs to find out what’s the cheapest way to make the journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Flying: Catching a flight is the fastest and most expensive way to travel. The cheapest roundtrip plane tickets currently available from SFO to LAX are: $378 (according to tripadvisor) ; $366 (according to priceline) ; $371 (according to Expedia) ; $344 (according to Kayak)

Driving: According to AAA, the average price of regular gas per gallon in California is currently $4.70. The drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles is 383 miles via I-5, and 420 miles via Highway 101. If your car burns one gallon of regular fuel every 25 miles, your round-trip drive of 766 miles will cost $140.

Train: Amtrak trains offer an alternative way to get to LA. According to Amtrak’s website, you can buy a ticket for $74 and the ride will take 9 1/2 hours one-way. A round-trip ticket costs $148, so taking the train is about $8 more expensive than driving a car.