City AQI Comparison
Los Angeles vs San Francisco: AQI comparison and planning guide
Compare Los Angeles and San Francisco by current-or-fallback AQI, cigarette-equivalent exposure, and practical next steps.
Uses live AirNow readings where supported and falls back to each city's planning baseline when the API is unavailable or unsupported.
Los Angeles
Southern California
Current or fallback AQI
AQI 63
Category
Moderate
24-hour equivalent
0.81
Updated Mar 18, 3:48 PM UTC
Shift hard workouts to cleaner hours or indoor spaces.
Limit unnecessary exposure for children and sensitive groups.
Keep a mask and indoor-air plan ready if readings continue rising.
San Francisco
Bay Area
Current or fallback AQI
AQI 56
Category
Moderate
24-hour equivalent
0.66
Updated Mar 18, 3:48 PM UTC
Shift hard workouts to cleaner hours or indoor spaces.
Limit unnecessary exposure for children and sensitive groups.
Keep a mask and indoor-air plan ready if readings continue rising.
What changes for planning
Cleaner right now
San Francisco
Heavier 24h exposure
Los Angeles
Daily cigarette-equivalent gap
0.2
Los Angeles: Forecast planning snapshot
2026-03-18
AQI 68
Moderate
San Francisco: Forecast planning snapshot
2026-03-18
AQI 51
Moderate
2026-03-19
AQI -1
Moderate