Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
31.1 mi
50 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Santa Monica, CA
Bjorn Pierre
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Santa Monica to Long Beach is 31.1 miles and takes about 40m via the San Diego Freeway, Santa Monica Freeway, and Long Beach Freeway, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within California's Pacific Coast region, connecting two well-known coastal cities. You'll mostly be on the freeway, making it a straightforward and quick transit. It's a practical option if you need to get between these two points efficiently without much fuss.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Freeway | 21.6 mi | 24m |
| Santa Monica Freeway | 2.8 mi | 3m |
| Long Beach Freeway | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Shoreline Drive | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| West Ocean Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Seaside Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Lincoln Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Chestnut Place | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 72 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~8,499 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~763 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.1×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 43 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Santa Monica, CA and Long Beach, CA.
Start on US 66 Hist
Turn left onto Olympic Boulevard
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 10
Take the exit
Merge onto I 405
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405
Take the exit
Continue on this road
Merge onto I 710
Continue on I 710
Take the exit
Continue on Shoreline Drive
Turn left onto South Chestnut Place
Turn right onto West Ocean Boulevard
Continue on East Ocean Boulevard
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 28.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Olympic Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 405 South: Long Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405 / San Diego Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 710 South: Long Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Downtown Long Beach, Convention Center, Aquarium
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$7.05 one way
$14.10 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.96 | $7.29 | $14.59 |
| premium | $6.09 | $7.46 | $14.92 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $6.62 | $13.23 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.3 | 0 | $3.27 | $1.49 |
| Efficient EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.72 | $1.24 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.4 | 0 | $4.35 | $1.99 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Night in Santa Monica on Saturday
Local time
9:20 PM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Chance Rain Showers
Destination
Night in Long Beach on Saturday
Local time
9:20 PM
PDT
Current temp
65°F
Chance Rain Showers
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
This drive is predominantly highway, with 88% of the route on freeways. You'll experience a longest stretch of 21.6 miles on the San Diego Freeway. Expect a lot of merging and traffic, especially as you navigate through urban areas. The transition from freeway to surface roads will happen towards the end of your trip, likely within the last few miles as you approach Long Beach.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Diego Freeway and Santa Monica Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near Olympic Boulevard.
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 31.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Olympic Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.4 miles (I 405 / San Diego Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Santa Monica, CA and Long Beach, CA, road signs point toward Convention Center and Aquarium.
Convention Center
Aquarium
Founded 1769
Anchoring the Westside of Los Angeles County, Santa Monica is a beachfront city popular with tourists for its expansive beach and its famous pier, which are among the most popular coastal attractions in Southern California. Within the city, visitors will find a number of urban shopping districts and plenty of restaurants and nightlife.
Top landmarks
Founded 1888
Long Beach is a large port city in Los Angeles County in Southern California. Long Beach has some nice people-gathering amenities and genuine tourist attractions, such as a world-class aquarium and the Queen Mary floating museum/hotel. Special events are also held in the city like the annual Long Beach Grand Prix (a premier racing event held on city streets) and the annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event. When compared to other areas like Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and West L.A., Long Beach may not always be at the top of someone's tourist visit to the Los Angeles area, but the city draws its fair share of visitors and has proven it can definitely hold its own.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 31.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (88%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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