Traffic Predict
Best Time to Drive from Oceanside to Santa Monica
Right now (5:33 pm PDT): about 103 minutes via I-405 North and I-5 North, usually 89 at this time.
Only 8% of this drive is measured by working traffic sensors right now. The rest is estimated from nearby sensors, typical speeds and street traffic, so times can be off. Why so few sensors work.
Typical drive time by departure time
| Leave | 5am | 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 83 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 89 | 90 | 92 | 101 | 105 | 95 | 86 | 85 | 85 | 84 |
| Tue | 83 | 83 | 84 | 86 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 94 | 124 | 127 | 101 | 86 | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| Wed | 83 | 84 | 85 | 87 | 87 | 91 | 91 | 91 | 93 | 101 | 135 | 134 | 107 | 89 | 86 | 86 | 84 |
| Thu | 83 | 84 | 84 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 94 | 116 | 115 | 100 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 |
| Fri | 84 | 85 | 85 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 91 | 93 | 94 | 99 | 118 | 107 | 93 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 85 |
| Sat | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 88 | 92 | 96 | 96 | 93 | 91 | 91 | 90 | 88 | 86 | 86 | 84 |
| Sun | 84 | 84 | 84 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 88 | 93 | 92 | 94 | 92 | 91 | 89 | 87 | 86 | 86 | 84 |
About this drive
On weekdays the 97-mile drive from Oceanside to Santa Monica (via I-405 North and I-5 North) usually takes as little as 83 minutes and up to 140 minutes, when leaving around 3:30 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 12:30 pm or after 5:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 92 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 12 pm on Saturdays (96 minutes).
About 95 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.7 miles surface streets (2 to 4 minutes on weekdays), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Oceanside to downtown Santa Monica along the route on the map. Starting or ending elsewhere in a big city can add or save several minutes.
Simulated from typical freeway speeds at each point of the drive for the time you would reach it, from every 5-minute reading we have recorded. We don't have sensors on surface streets yet, so the time on them is estimated from how congested the freeways around each end of the drive are at that time, in both directions: streets jam when the freeways do.
Questions
What is the best time to drive from Oceanside to Santa Monica?
On weekdays, leave before 12:30 pm or after 5:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 83 minutes then, versus up to 140 minutes at the worst times.
How long does it take to drive from Oceanside to Santa Monica?
The 97-mile drive usually takes 83 to 140 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 92 minutes midday.
When is traffic worst from Oceanside to Santa Monica?
Leaving around 3:30 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 140 minutes.
Freeways on this drive
I-405 North in Los Angeles (27 miles) · SR-73 North in Orange County (18 miles) · I-5 North in San Diego (18 miles) · I-405 North in Orange County (16 miles) · I-5 North in Orange County (14 miles) · I-10 West in Los Angeles (3 miles)
San Diego traffic right now · San Diego traffic tomorrow · Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow
More drives
Oceanside to San Diego · Oceanside to Escondido · Oceanside to Chula Vista · Oceanside to La Jolla · Oceanside to El Cajon · Oceanside to SAN · Oceanside to Long Beach · Oceanside to Glendora · Oceanside to Anaheim · Oceanside to Riverside · Oceanside to Santa Ana · Oceanside to Manhattan