What Is the Typical Commute Time from Woodland Hills to Century City by Car Versus Public Transit Right Now

Woodland Hills to Century City is roughly 18 to 20 miles. That span puts you at the far western edge of the San Fernando Valley and drops you at one of the densest office and retail corridors on the Westside. The straight-line distance feels short, but two major freeways, several chokepoints, and the Santa Monica Mountains sitting between the two destinations make this one of the more demanding daily commutes in Los Angeles County.

How Far Is Woodland Hills from Century City?

Woodland Hills sits at the western end of the 101 Freeway corridor in the Valley, bordered by Calabasas to the west and West Hills to the northwest. Century City occupies a compact rectangle between Beverly Hills, Westwood, and West Hollywood, anchored by the Westfield Century City mall and a cluster of high-rise office towers along Avenue of the Stars. The two neighborhoods are separated by the Sepulveda Pass, which is the stretch of the 405 that climbs over the Santa Monica Mountains. That pass is one of the most congested freeway segments in the United States during peak hours.

Why Miles Don't Tell the Story

A 20-mile commute in many U.S. cities takes 25 to 30 minutes. In Los Angeles, that same distance through the Sepulveda Pass during morning rush hour can take 60 to 90 minutes. The elevation change through the pass limits freeway capacity, and the merge points at the 101 and 405 interchange near Sherman Oaks consistently rank among the worst bottlenecks in Southern California. Understanding that geography is the first step to planning your day realistically.

2. Commute by Car: What to Expect Right Now

Driving from Woodland Hills to Century City currently takes between 35 and 90 minutes depending on the time of day. That wide range is not a rounding error. It reflects the genuine difference between leaving at 6:00 a.m. and leaving at 8:00 a.m. on a Tuesday in September 2026. The two primary route options each have their own rhythm, and knowing them helps you pick the right one for your schedule.

The 101 to 405 Route

The most common route is east on the 101 to south on the 405, then exiting at Wilshire Boulevard or Santa Monica Boulevard toward Century City. This route covers about 20 miles. Off-peak, meaning before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. on weekdays, the drive runs 35 to 45 minutes. During the core morning rush window of 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., expect 60 to 90 minutes. The southbound 405 through the Sepulveda Pass is the primary culprit, often moving at 10 to 15 miles per hour through the mountain section.

The return trip northbound on the 405 in the evening, typically between 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., mirrors the morning pattern. Northbound through the pass can back up from the Getty Center interchange all the way to Sunset Boulevard, adding 20 to 40 minutes to what would otherwise be a 40-minute drive.

Surface Street Alternatives

Mulholland Drive is the most scenic alternative and cuts directly over the Santa Monica Mountains from the Valley side to the Westside. From Woodland Hills, you pick up Mulholland near Calabasas Road and follow it east, then descend into Beverly Hills or West Hollywood via Coldwater Canyon or Laurel Canyon. This route is about 17 miles and avoids the 405 entirely, but it is a winding two-lane road with no freeway speeds. In moderate traffic it runs 45 to 55 minutes. During heavy rain or after any brush fire activity, Caltrans sometimes closes sections of Mulholland, so it is not a route to depend on exclusively.

Sepulveda Boulevard itself, which parallels the 405 through the pass, is another option that navigation apps frequently suggest when the freeway is at a standstill. It adds surface-street signals to the equation but can shave meaningful time when the freeway is truly gridlocked. Realistically, Sepulveda through the pass adds about 10 minutes compared to a free-flowing freeway but can save 20 to 30 minutes compared to a jammed one.

Peak Hours Versus Off-Peak Hours

To put concrete numbers on it: a Woodland Hills resident leaving home at 6:00 a.m. on a weekday can reach Century City in about 35 to 40 minutes. The same trip departing at 8:00 a.m. routinely takes 75 to 90 minutes in September 2026. Midday runs, say 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., settle around 40 to 55 minutes. Late evening after 8:00 p.m. drops back to 30 to 40 minutes. Remote or hybrid schedules that allow departure before 7:00 a.m. or after 9:30 a.m. significantly change the calculus for this particular corridor.

3. Commute by Public Transit: The Real Numbers

The typical public transit commute from Woodland Hills to Century City takes 70 to 110 minutes each way right now. That is longer than driving during most hours, but the trade-off is that you are not the one sitting in traffic. You can work, read, or decompress on the bus or train, which some commuters find worth the extra time. The transit options from Woodland Hills are more developed than many people assume, largely because of the Metro G Line (formerly the Orange Line) busway.

Metro Bus Options

Metro operates several bus lines through Woodland Hills, including routes along Ventura Boulevard and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. However, a direct bus from Woodland Hills to Century City does not exist as a single-seat ride. The most practical all-bus option involves taking a local line to a transfer point and connecting to a Westside route, which typically results in a 90 to 120-minute trip with one or two transfers. For most commuters, the bus-only option is not competitive with the rail-connected alternative described below.

The Metro Rail Connection via G Line and E Line

The most reliable transit path uses the Metro G Line (the dedicated bus rapid transit corridor that runs along the old Southern Pacific right-of-way through the Valley) combined with a transfer to the Metro E Line (formerly the Expo Line). Here is how it works in practice: you board the G Line at the Woodland Hills station on Oxnard Street, ride east to the North Hollywood station, transfer to the Metro B Line (Red Line) south to the 7th Street/Metro Center station downtown, then transfer to the E Line westbound toward Santa Monica, exiting at the Westwood/Rancho Park station. From there, a short rideshare or a bus connection on the 720 Rapid gets you to Century City.

A simpler two-transfer option skips the downtown detour. Take the G Line east to North Hollywood, transfer to the B Line south to Wilshire/Vermont, then transfer to the Metro Purple Line extension. As of September 2026, the Purple Line extension has opened its stations through Beverly Hills, with the Century City/Constellation station now serving passengers directly. That station places you at the heart of the office district without a final rideshare leg. Metro's own schedule data shows this G Line to B Line to D Line (Purple Line) trip running approximately 80 to 95 minutes end to end during peak hours.

You can verify current schedules, fares, and real-time arrivals through the Metro Trip Planner on the LA Metro website, which updates routing based on live service conditions. Metro's standard fare is $1.75 per boarding, and a TAP card with a daily cap of $5.00 makes multi-transfer trips cost-effective.

How Long Does the Full Trip Take?

Using the G Line to B Line to Purple Line route, a commuter departing the Woodland Hills G Line station at 7:45 a.m. should arrive at the Century City/Constellation Purple Line station by approximately 9:20 to 9:30 a.m., a total of 95 to 105 minutes. The G Line runs every 12 minutes during peak hours, the B Line every 6 minutes, and the Purple Line extension every 10 minutes, so missed connections rarely cost more than 10 to 12 minutes of waiting. The walk from the Woodland Hills G Line station to the platform is about 3 minutes, and the Century City Purple Line station has direct elevator access to street level near Constellation Boulevard.

4. Comparing Car and Transit Side by Side

Neither option dominates across every dimension. The right choice depends on your schedule flexibility, where in Woodland Hills you live relative to the G Line stations, and how much you value predictability over raw speed. Here is how the two compare across the factors that matter most to a daily commuter.

Time, Cost, and Stress

• Car, off-peak (before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m.): 35 to 45 minutes each way. Fuel cost roughly $4 to $6 per round trip at current Los Angeles gas prices, plus wear on the vehicle.
• Car, peak morning or evening rush: 60 to 90 minutes each way. The 405 southbound through the Sepulveda Pass is the primary delay source.
• Transit, G Line to B Line to Purple Line: 80 to 105 minutes each way. Consistent regardless of freeway conditions. Daily TAP cap of $5.00 makes it significantly cheaper than driving.
• Stress comparison: Driving in peak traffic on the 405 ranks among the more stressful commutes in Los Angeles. Transit is slower but allows productive or restful time during the ride.
• Predictability: Transit schedules are fixed. Freeway times vary by 30 to 45 minutes depending on incidents, weather, or special events near Century City or along the 405.

Parking at the Century City End

Parking in Century City is a real cost that many commuters underestimate. Monthly parking in the office towers along Avenue of the Stars runs $250 to $400 per month in September 2026. Daily rates at Westfield Century City or nearby structures range from $12 to $30 depending on validation. Add that to fuel and vehicle costs, and the daily expense of driving can reach $25 to $40 per day for a round trip, compared to $5 or less via Metro. Over a full work month, that difference is $400 to $700, which is not a trivial number when you are also carrying a mortgage in Woodland Hills.

The new Purple Line Century City station eliminates that parking equation entirely for transit riders. You step off the train and walk to your office building, no garage, no circling, no parking app.

5. What This Commute Means for Woodland Hills Home Buyers

The commute is a meaningful factor in how Woodland Hills is priced relative to the Westside. Buyers who work in Century City, Beverly Hills, or Santa Monica regularly look at Woodland Hills because the housing stock offers more square footage and larger lots than what the same budget buys closer to the coast. Understanding the commute time tradeoff is central to that calculation.

Housing Context in Woodland Hills

Woodland Hills is a largely residential neighborhood built out primarily between the 1950s and 1980s, with a mix of ranch-style single-family homes, mid-century split-levels, and newer construction on hillside lots. The flat areas near Ventura Boulevard offer walkable access to shops, restaurants, and the Westfield Topanga mall. Hillside properties above Mulholland Drive offer larger lots and canyon views but add a few minutes to the commute to the G Line station. Median home prices in Woodland Hills have been running in the $900,000 to $1.1 million range through mid-2026, with detached single-family homes often landing between $1 million and $1.5 million depending on size and lot position.

That price range is substantially below what comparable square footage costs in Century City adjacent neighborhoods like Cheviot Hills, Westwood, or Rancho Park, where detached homes regularly list above $2 million. The commute time, then, is the price of the price difference. Whether that tradeoff works for you depends on your schedule, your tolerance for the 405, and whether your employer's hours align with off-peak windows.

If you are exploring homes across Los Angeles more broadly, the Homes for Sale in Los Angeles Buyer's Guide on this site covers the full landscape of neighborhoods and price points worth comparing.

Thinking About the Long Game

The Purple Line extension reaching Century City in 2026 has already begun reshaping how buyers think about the Valley-to-Westside commute. Properties within walking distance of the Woodland Hills G Line stations on Oxnard Street have seen increased buyer interest because the rail connection to the Purple Line makes the transit option genuinely competitive for the first time. If Metro's long-term plans to extend the G Line further west toward Canoga Park or the Woodland Hills Warner Center area move forward, the transit calculus could improve further.

Warner Center, the commercial hub at the western end of Woodland Hills, is also undergoing significant mixed-use development that could eventually reduce the need to commute to Century City at all for some residents. But for buyers whose jobs are firmly anchored on the Westside today, the commute question is immediate and real.

Once you have worked out your commute tolerance, the next step is understanding the purchase process itself. The article on buying a house in Los Angeles from offer to closing walks through timelines and what to expect at each stage of the transaction.

For buyers also considering the Eastside, the average home price data for Silver Lake offers a useful point of comparison for what different Los Angeles neighborhoods are trading at right now.

You can also check the California Department of Transportation's real-time traffic data for current conditions on the 405 and 101 corridors, which is useful for testing different departure times before you commit to a neighborhood.