SFO Parking Rates: A Guide to Daily and Hourly Costs

Take a four-day work trip to Seattle. You guess parking will cost about thirty bucks. Then you reach the garage exit and see the real number. It happens at SFO more than people admit.

The good news is that SFO parking rates follow a simple pattern. Every garage charges by the half hour, then stops at a daily maximum. The maximum is where the garages split apart. So do the walk to the terminal and the final bill. Below you’ll find hourly costs, daily caps, a week-long cost table, and the spots where drivers usually overspend.

One note first. These numbers were checked in October 2026. Airport rates move now and then, so confirm before you go.

SFO Airport Parking Rates at a Glance

SFO’s main parking comes in four options. Three are standard garages. The fourth is a premium section tucked inside the Domestic Garage. All four bill $4 per 30 minutes until the daily cap applies. Taxes and fees are already in the price.

Garage	Hourly rate	24-hour maximum	Best for
Long-Term Parking	$4 per 30 min	$27	Trips of two days or more
International Garages A and G	$4 per 30 min	$37	International departures
Domestic Garage	$4 per 30 min	$41	Domestic flights, quick pickups
ParkFAST	$4 per 30 min	$70	Fast entry, 8-hour minimum

The Long-Term Garage is the cheapest official option. It’s also the farthest from your airline counter. A free AirTrain closes that gap.

These prices have crept up, but slowly. Back in 2016 the Long-Term Garage jumped $7 to reach $25 a day, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Garages A and G sat at $36 then. They’re $37 today. Budgeting around those numbers is easier than it sounds.

How Hourly Parking Works at SFO

SFO hourly parking costs $4 for each half hour. That’s $8 an hour. Fine for a quick stop. Less fine once the clock keeps running.

Picture this. You’re meeting an aunt at Harvey Milk Terminal 1. Her flight lands late, so you wait inside the Domestic Garage for two hours. That’s $16. Add a slow bag claim and a coffee, and you hit three hours. $24 gone. Almost a full day in the Long-Term Garage.

Here is roughly when each garage stops charging by the hour:

• Long-Term Garage: the $27 cap arrives at about three and a half hours.
• International Garages: the $37 cap lands somewhere near four and a half hours.
• Domestic Garage: the $41 cap shows up just past the five-hour mark.

Just picking someone up? Skip the garage. SFO’s Cell Phone Waiting Lot is free for up to 60 minutes, as long as someone stays with the car.

Not sure which garage sits closest to your airline? The SFO terminal map shows every terminal and the parking next to it.

Daily Parking at SFO, Garage by Garage

Same hourly rate, different finish line. The daily cap is where your choice starts to matter. SFO daily parking looks cheap in the Long-Term Garage and gets steeper the closer you park to a gate.

Long-Term Garage: $27 a day

This is the pick for trips of two days or more. You park, cross the skybridge, and board the AirTrain. Trains run about every four minutes. A seven-day stay costs $189.

Height matters here. Garage 1 allows vehicles up to 6 feet 10 inches. Garage 2 goes to 8 feet 2 inches. Check before you roll in with a roof box.

Domestic Garage: about $41 a day

It sits in the middle of the airport. Tunnels lead to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. United flyers at Terminal 3 like it for that reason. You pay for the short walk. Nothing else.

International Garages A and G: $37 a day

Walkways link both garages to the International Terminal. Boarding Areas A and G are right there. Flying Lufthansa or ANA? This is your garage.

ParkFAST: $70 a day

• Online booking only
• 8-hour minimum stay
• Vehicles up to 6 feet 6 inches
• QR code entry, capped at 236 cars at a time

Premium price. You get a dedicated entrance and a short walk. You can also add a car wash when you book.

Let’s put the gap in plain numbers. The Domestic Garage costs $14 more per day than the Long-Term Garage. Over a week, that’s $98. For some people the short walk is worth it. For most, it isn’t.

Matching Your Airline to Your Garage

Your terminal decides your best garage. Check your boarding pass before you pick.

• Harvey Milk Terminal 1: American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Sun Country. Domestic Garage.
• Terminal 2: Air Canada, Breeze and Southwest. Domestic Garage.
• Terminal 3: United. Domestic Garage.
• International Terminal: Lufthansa, ANA, Cathay Pacific and other overseas carriers. Garage A or G.

Airline assignments change, so recheck close to departure. Live SFO flight status shows your terminal. The Long-Term Garage works for every terminal, because the AirTrain reaches them all.

What a Week at SFO Really Costs

Daily rates feel small. Multiply them and the picture changes. This table compares common trip lengths. The offsite column uses a typical $7.70 a day on Way.

Trip length	Long-Term Garage	International Garages	Domestic Garage	Offsite lot at $7.70
1 day	$27	$37	$41	$7.70
3 days	$81	$111	$123	$23.10
7 days	$189	$259	$287	$53.90
14 days	$378	$518	$574	$107.80

A two-week trip in the Domestic Garage runs $574. Offsite, the same stretch is about $108. Rates vary by lot and date. Some lots list from $9.90 a day with a free shuttle. Even then, the SFO parking cost gap is big.

Try a five-day business trip. The Long-Term Garage comes to $135. A $9.90 lot comes to $49.50. You keep $85.50. That pays for a few good dinners on the trip.

Offsite Lots Near SFO: Where the Savings Come From

Offsite parking near SFO means a hotel lot or a small independent facility. Most sit one to three miles from the terminals. Nearly all of them run a free shuttle. You can compare them side by side on Way’s SFO parking link.

• Shuttles usually run every 10 to 20 minutes, so build in a wait.
• Add about 30 minutes to your normal airport arrival time.
• Shuttle hours differ by lot, which matters for red-eyes.
• Most Way partner lots allow free cancellation before check-in.

Take a 5:50 a.m. departure. Check the listing first. Confirm the shuttle runs at 4 a.m. Not every lot does. One small detail can turn a cheap booking into a stressful morning.

Is Offsite Parking Worth the Extra Time?

Offsite saves money. It also costs minutes. Here’s a rough way to weigh it.

Offsite adds around 30 minutes on the way out, plus a shuttle wait when you land. Call it an hour round trip. A three-day trip saves $57.90 against the Long-Term Garage. That’s a decent price for one extra hour. Most people take that deal.

A one-night trip is tighter. The saving is about $19. If your flight lands at midnight, check the lot’s shuttle hours before you decide.

Two things shift the math. One is a big group with strollers and four suitcases. A shuttle is harder than a skybridge. The other is your return time. A late arrival makes shuttle hours matter more than the price. Ask the lot what it offers before you book.

Covered, Uncovered and Valet: What the Extra Dollars Buy

Way’s offsite listings show three tiers. Uncovered starts around $7.70 a day. Covered starts near $9. Valet starts around $13.50.

Is the covered tier worth $1.30 more a day? On a long trip, probably. It keeps sun and rain off the paint. Our short answer on whether covered parking is worth it goes deeper.

Valet suits people with a tight schedule or heavy luggage. You hand over the keys and walk in. That’s the whole appeal.

Extra Costs and Rules That Catch People Out

• FasTrak is no longer accepted at SFO garages. Bring a card. Cash works at booths.
• Rates run in 24-hour blocks, so a late return can add a fresh charge.
• Holiday weeks sell out faster, and the lower-priced spots vanish first.
• EV charging in the garages is free at Level 1 and Level 2. Normal parking rates still apply, and spots go first come, first served.
• Online bookings cover stays of up to 60 days.

None of this is hidden. It’s just buried in fine print most of us skip at the garage entrance.

Peak weeks deserve their own warning. SFO handled about 54.1 million passengers in 2025. Holiday travel is the usual pinch point. Garages fill, and the cheapest offsite spots go first. Book early.

Offsite Lots Worth a Look

Rates and ratings shift with your dates. Treat this as a starting list. It comes from Way’s SFO listings in October 2026.

• Travelodge SFO Airport Parking: about 1.2 miles out, from $9.90 a day, free shuttle.
• Hilton Garden Inn North SFO: 1.5 miles, from $9.30 a day, free shuttle.
• Fastrack Travel SFO Airport Parking: 1.2 miles, from $10.30 a day, free shuttle.
• Anza Parking SFO Airport Parking: 0.8 miles, from $15.60 a day. It’s one of the most reviewed lots, with 779 reviews.

One warning. Courtyard San Francisco Airport Parking lists from $7.80 a day. Look closer. It has no airport shuttle. You’d pay for a rideshare each way, and the bargain shrinks fast.

What to Check on Any Offsite Listing

Cheap is easy to find. Good takes a minute of reading.

• Does it say free airport shuttle, or no shuttle?
• What hours does the shuttle run?
• Is the lot covered, uncovered or valet?
• Can your vehicle’s height fit?
• What’s the cancellation window?
• Do the reviews mention the pickup wait?

That last one tells you more than the star rating does.

Six Ways to Pay Less for SFO Parking

1. Book ahead. A reservation guarantees your spot. Reserve on Way before you pick a garage.
2. Match the garage to your terminal. Skip the Domestic Garage if you don’t need the short walk. The AirTrain links the Long-Term Garage to every terminal.
3. Never wait in a garage. Use the free cell phone lot for pickups.
4. Compare by total cost. Some lots list a low rate but have no shuttle. A rideshare each way can erase the savings.
5. Read the cancellation terms. Free changes before check-in are worth real money.
6. Use the app. Way gives an extra 5% off parking in its app.

The Bottom Line

Hourly parking at SFO runs $8. Daily caps range from $27 to $70. Offsite lots can cut a week’s bill by well over half. Know your terminal, your trip length, and your return time. Then SFO parking rates stop being a surprise.

Related guides

• SFO Parking Fee: Garage and Long-Term Parking Costs Explained
• Long-Term Parking Near SFO: Comparing Garage Options
• San Francisco Airport Parking Rates: How Much Will You Pay?

Frequently Asked Questions