Best Time to Drive from Thousand Oaks to Costa Mesa

Right now (7:36 pm PST): about 86 minutes via I-405 South and US-101 South, usually 94 at this time.

Only 3% 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

Minutes from Thousand Oaks to Costa Mesa by day and time you leave (local time)
Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	70	71	73	79	80	79	80	86	107	113	126	126	121	99	78	73	70
Tue	71	72	74	97	97	84	83	130	172	210	240	216	174	133	95	79	70
Wed	71	71	75	90	89	82	86	115	188	244	245	223	184	141	106	83	70
Thu	71	72	75	86	89	83	88	116	179	207	193	185	169	149	121	89	71
Fri	71	71	74	82	79	82	95	159	178	162	141	154	151	132	113	88	71
Sat	72	71	72	73	76	79	90	97	102	116	108	106	95	88	86	80	70
Sun	71	72	72	73	76	78	80	84	87	90	87	90	88	83	81	77	70

About this drive

On weekdays the 80-mile drive from Thousand Oaks to Costa Mesa (via I-405 South and US-101 South) usually takes as little as 70 minutes and up to 245 minutes, when leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays. The fastest times to leave are before 7:30 am or after 8:30 pm. Midday (11 am to 2 pm) it takes about 140 minutes. On weekends it is slowest around 2 pm on Saturdays (116 minutes).

About 79 miles of it is freeway, where times follow typical and live traffic from our sensors, and about 1.2 miles surface streets (about 1 minutes), estimated from how jammed the freeways around them are at that time. Drive times are measured from central Thousand Oaks to central Costa Mesa 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 Thousand Oaks to Costa Mesa?

On weekdays, leave before 7:30 am or after 8:30 pm. The drive usually takes about 70 minutes then, versus up to 245 minutes at the worst times.

How long does it take to drive from Thousand Oaks to Costa Mesa?

The 80-mile drive usually takes 70 to 245 minutes on weekdays, depending on when you leave, and about 140 minutes midday.

When is traffic worst from Thousand Oaks to Costa Mesa?

Leaving around 3 pm on Wednesdays is usually slowest, about 245 minutes.

Freeways on this drive

I-405 South in Los Angeles (37 miles) · US-101 South in Los Angeles (23 miles) · I-405 South in Orange County (16 miles) · SR-55 South in Orange County (2 miles)

Los Angeles traffic right now · Los Angeles traffic tomorrow · Orange County traffic right now · Orange County traffic tomorrow

More drives

Costa Mesa to Thousand Oaks (return trip) · Thousand Oaks to Los Angeles · Thousand Oaks to Santa Monica · Thousand Oaks to Pasadena · Thousand Oaks to Long Beach · Thousand Oaks to West Covina · Thousand Oaks to Burbank · Thousand Oaks to Glendale · Thousand Oaks to Santa Clarita · Thousand Oaks to Van Nuys · Thousand Oaks to Torrance · Thousand Oaks to LAX

Open the live traffic map →

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	70	71	73	79	80	79	80	86	107	113	126	126	121	99	78	73	70
Tue	71	72	74	97	97	84	83	130	172	210	240	216	174	133	95	79	70
Wed	71	71	75	90	89	82	86	115	188	244	245	223	184	141	106	83	70
Thu	71	72	75	86	89	83	88	116	179	207	193	185	169	149	121	89	71
Fri	71	71	74	82	79	82	95	159	178	162	141	154	151	132	113	88	71
Sat	72	71	72	73	76	79	90	97	102	116	108	106	95	88	86	80	70
Sun	71	72	72	73	76	78	80	84	87	90	87	90	88	83	81	77	70

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	70	71	73	79	80	79	80	86	107	113	126	126	121	99	78	73	70
Tue	71	72	74	97	97	84	83	130	172	210	240	216	174	133	95	79	70
Wed	71	71	75	90	89	82	86	115	188	244	245	223	184	141	106	83	70
Thu	71	72	75	86	89	83	88	116	179	207	193	185	169	149	121	89	71
Fri	71	71	74	82	79	82	95	159	178	162	141	154	151	132	113	88	71
Sat	72	71	72	73	76	79	90	97	102	116	108	106	95	88	86	80	70
Sun	71	72	72	73	76	78	80	84	87	90	87	90	88	83	81	77	70

Leave	5am	6am	7am	8am	9am	10am	11am	12pm	1pm	2pm	3pm	4pm	5pm	6pm	7pm	8pm	9pm
Mon	70	71	73	79	80	79	80	86	107	113	126	126	121	99	78	73	70
Tue	71	72	74	97	97	84	83	130	172	210	240	216	174	133	95	79	70
Wed	71	71	75	90	89	82	86	115	188	244	245	223	184	141	106	83	70
Thu	71	72	75	86	89	83	88	116	179	207	193	185	169	149	121	89	71
Fri	71	71	74	82	79	82	95	159	178	162	141	154	151	132	113	88	71
Sat	72	71	72	73	76	79	90	97	102	116	108	106	95	88	86	80	70
Sun	71	72	72	73	76	78	80	84	87	90	87	90	88	83	81	77	70