How we know: Sources are listed at the end. Airport and route facts come from the cited references. Live fares are on the linked route pages; this post does not quote fares because the answer changes by route and date.
Los Angeles and San Francisco are both true global gateways; San Jose and Oakland are regional airports with a few international routes that matter. Which is cheapest depends on the destination, because price follows competition, and competition differs pair by pair.
LAX: the widest network
LAX has the most international destinations and carriers on the West Coast. To Tokyo alone it has ANA, JAL, American and Delta to Haneda and ANA, JAL, Singapore Airlines and ZIPAIR to Narita (Los Angeles International Airport). It is the West Coast base for American and Delta, a major Alaska station, and a United hub; every major European, Asian, Middle Eastern, Australian and Latin carrier flies there. Low-cost long-haul is present too (ZIPAIR, French Bee seasonally to Paris Orly). See LAX to London and LAX to Paris.
Downsides: the airport is congested, terminals are far apart (international arrivals mostly at Tom Bradley), and the road approach is slow. The Metro connection via the LAX/Metro Transit Center and people mover has improved access; check current status before relying on it.
SFO: United's Pacific gateway
SFO handled about 54.5 million passengers in 2025 and is United's primary transpacific gateway (San Francisco International Airport). Asia is SFO's strength: United plus the Asian flag carriers give it deep competition to Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila, and ZIPAIR flies Narita–SFO (ZIPAIR Tokyo). Europe is well served by United and the European carriers, with French Bee to Paris Orly as the low-cost option. See SFO to Tokyo and SFO to Paris.
BART runs directly from the international terminal to downtown San Francisco and the East Bay (San Francisco International Airport). The known weakness is weather: when low cloud limits the closely spaced parallel runways to two, SFO runs flow control and delays stack up, mostly on summer mornings and winter storms.
SJC: small, convenient, one big route
San Jose served about 10.7 million passengers in 2025. Its international service is ZIPAIR to Tokyo Narita (seasonal), Volaris to Guadalajara, León, Morelia and Zacatecas, and Alaska's seasonal Mexico beach routes; the former British Airways London and Air Canada Vancouver services have ended (San José Mineta International Airport). If you live in the South Bay and are going to Tokyo or interior Mexico, SJC is the easy choice; see San Jose to Tokyo. For anywhere else, you are driving to SFO.
Oakland: Mexico and Central America
Oakland handled about 9.2 million passengers in 2025; its international routes are Volaris to Guadalajara, León, Mexico City and Morelia, Viva seasonally to Guadalajara, and Volaris El Salvador to San Salvador (Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport). The BART connector reaches the airport in about eight minutes from the Coliseum station. For East Bay residents heading to Mexico it is worth a look; it has no Europe or Asia service.
How to choose, by route
- Tokyo and Northeast Asia: compare LAX and SFO; both have the flag carriers and ZIPAIR. South Bay: check SJC first.
- Southeast Asia, India: SFO (United, Singapore, Philippine, Air India) and LAX (Singapore, Philippine, Cathay) are both strong; Middle East carriers via Doha/Dubai serve both.
- Europe: LAX has more carriers; SFO has United's hub. Price both plus French Bee at each.
- Australia and New Zealand: LAX has the most nonstops (Qantas, United, Delta, American, Air New Zealand); SFO has United, Qantas and Air New Zealand.
- Mexico and Central America: all four airports; Oakland and San Jose on Volaris often set the floor for interior Mexico, LAX has the most beach destinations.
- South America: LAX only for nonstops (LATAM, Avianca, Copa via Panama).
Practical factors that shift the decision
- Ground time: SFO's BART and SJC's compact layout save time versus LAX's approach roads.
- Connections: LAX's terminal spread makes tight inter-terminal connections risky.
- Weather: SFO's fog delays are real on summer mornings; LAX rarely has weather problems.
- Bags on low-cost carriers: ZIPAIR, French Bee and Volaris fares exclude bags; add them before comparing.
Anchor to today's fare on the relevant route pages and set a price alert on two airports if you are between them.
FAQ
Is SFO or LAX cheaper for international flights? Neither universally. Asia tends to be more competitive at SFO, Europe and Oceania at LAX; check the specific route.
Does San Jose have international flights? Yes: ZIPAIR to Tokyo (seasonal), Volaris to several Mexican cities, and Alaska's seasonal Mexico routes.
Which Bay Area airport has BART? SFO (direct into the international terminal) and Oakland (via the airport connector). San Jose is served by free VTA bus 60.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Los Angeles International Airport (airlines and destinations)
- Wikipedia: San Francisco International Airport (traffic, United hub, BART, fog delays)
- Wikipedia: San José Mineta International Airport (traffic, international service)
- Wikipedia: Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (traffic, international service, BART connector)
- Wikipedia: ZIPAIR Tokyo (US gateways)