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Is it cheaper to fly or drive a Tesla from San Francisco, CA to Santa Barbara, CA?

Tesla it. You save $180, and the trip is 67% less stressful.

San Francisco, CA to Santa Barbara, CA is 325 mi by road — 6h 2m of driving and 2 Supercharger stops — against 4h 33m door to door by air. Driving is cheaper: taking the Tesla costs $54 against $234 to fly, a saving of $180. On the 0-100 stress scale the drive scores 19 and the flight 58.

Priced with fast charging at $0.36 per kWh and 3.7 miles per kWh, airfare from a $95 base plus $0.13 a mile per person, one $35 bag and a $30 ride at each end. Airfare is modelled from flight distance, not a live fare quote, so treat it as a typical fare rather than today's price. Rates last reviewed 14 September 2026; this trip last priced 14 September 2026.