Best Time to Book

Houston → San Francisco flights

IAH–SFO fares hover near a $65 median; with limited data, watch fares actively rather than timing a specific window.

Most fares cluster at $65 — a rare high-value spike pulls the average up

Key takeaways

Median fare sits at $65, matching both the low and the bottom quartile (p25) — most days price right at the floor
75th percentile is just $75, meaning the bulk of observed fares fall in a tight $65–$75 band
High of $197 is a clear outlier, likely a single sold-out or last-minute snapshot rather than the norm
203% spread looks dramatic but is driven by that one spike — typical day-to-day variation is far smaller
Only 12 snapshots collected, so treat this as an early read rather than a settled pattern

30-day price trend

IAH → SFO · cheapest cached fare per day · last 13 days · ↑ 99%

$65 low$197 high

See full numbers and stats on the IAH → SFO price history page.

The full picture

The data shows an unusually well-behaved fare floor for IAH–SFO: three-quarters of the observed fares sit between $65 and $75, with the median landing right at $65. That's a tight, consistent range — the kind that suggests this route normally prices efficiently rather than fluctuating wildly day to day. The headline 203% spread is technically accurate but misleading if taken at face value; it's being driven almost entirely by a single $197 high, not by broad volatility across the sample.

With only 12 snapshots, we can't responsibly point to a specific booking window or claim prices 'soften' at a particular point in the horizon — the sample simply isn't large enough to support that kind of claim. What we can say is that the bulk of fares cluster near the low end, so a traveler checking prices on most days should expect something close to $65–$75 rather than the $197 outlier. That spike is worth noting as a ceiling to avoid, not a baseline to expect.

No dominant carrier is visible in this data, so we can't speak to airline-specific pricing behavior or whether certain carriers are driving the low fares versus the outlier. The honest takeaway: this route looks cheap and stable most of the time, but the sample size is thin enough that a few more weeks of data would make any booking-window guidance meaningfully more reliable. For now, treat $65–$75 as the expected range and be pleasantly surprised if you land at the floor.

Ready to look at fares?

Search IAH → SFO on Aviasales →See the price history →

Related travel pages

Why we regenerated this article: Median fare ↓ 13% ($75 → $65). We only rewrite when the underlying price index actually moves — stable weeks keep the previous take.

AI-authored from this route's 30-day price index. Article last regenerated Oct 10, 2026. Fares shift continuously — confirm at booking.