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The cheapest order to fly Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong from San Francisco

There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $927 a person and the most expensive at $1,138, a difference of $211 for visiting exactly the same places.

Fly them in this order

San Francisco → Tokyo → Hong Kong → Seoul → San Francisco

About $927 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.

Every order, priced

  1. San Francisco → Tokyo → Hong Kong → Seoul → San Francisco$927
    cheapest order
  2. San Francisco → Tokyo → Seoul → Hong Kong → San Francisco$973
    $46 more per person
  3. San Francisco → Seoul → Tokyo → Hong Kong → San Francisco$1,011
    $84 more per person
  4. San Francisco → Seoul → Hong Kong → Tokyo → San Francisco$1,037
    $110 more per person
  5. San Francisco → Hong Kong → Tokyo → Seoul → San Francisco$1,062
    $135 more per person
  6. San Francisco → Hong Kong → Seoul → Tokyo → San Francisco$1,138
    $211 more per person

Why Tokyo first

  1. San Francisco to Tokyo$333
  2. Tokyo to Hong Kong$142
  3. Hong Kong to Seoul$111
  4. Seoul to San Francisco$341
  • Out of San Francisco, Tokyo is the cheapest first stop at about $333. Hong Kong would be $473.
  • Going home, Seoul is the cheapest city to leave from at about $341, against $455 from Tokyo.
  • Seoul to Tokyo is about $99, but the other way round is $115. Same two cities, $16 apart on direction alone.
  • The dearest order pays $473 for San Francisco to Hong Kong, a flight the cheapest order never takes.

Between the cities

  • Tokyo to Hong Kong: about 2,880 km (1790 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.
  • Hong Kong to Seoul: about 2,090 km (1300 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.

Entry rules on a US passport

  • US passport: visa-free for up to 90 days in Japan. Pre-register on Visit Japan Web to speed up arrival. Official source
  • US passport: visa-free in Hong Kong for up to 90 days. Official source
  • US passport: K-ETA may be required for South Korea (exemptions have come and gone); check before you fly. Official source

Rules change; check the official source for your passport and dates before you book.

How much the order matters here

Getting the order right is worth $211 a person on this trip, 23% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 35 for how much the order matters, about the middle: worth getting right, and worth checking against your own dates.

The same cities from other airports

The cheapest order depends on where you start. From San Francisco it starts in Tokyo.

  • From Los Angelesstart in Hong Kong, about $1,012 a person, $148 less than the dearest order
  • From New Yorkstart in Tokyo, about $1,103 a person, $149 less than the dearest order

What these numbers are

Cached one-way fares, 12 of 12 legs priced from real observations, put together on October 29, 2026, from fares departing October 30, 2026 onwards. Right for comparing one order with another, not a quote for your dates.

A plan prices your own dates and weighs hours as well as fares, so it can pick a different order from this page.

Other trips priced this way

From San Francisco

Trips through the same cities

Put dates on it

Same cities on real dates, plus what one search cannot show: layovers long enough to count as a free city, two tickets that beat one, and cheaper days either side. No account and no card.

One press starts it on January 2, 2027 to January 16, 2027, 14 days, for 2 travelers. Our dates, not yours, and about two minutes.

Plan Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong from San Francisco nowOpen the form instead and pick your own dates

Signed out, 3 plans a day per address, priced from cached fares and the free sources, so some legs may be estimates and the plan says which. Signed in, legs are checked live, with 2 free trips you can change afterwards.