Free tool · Runs in your browser
Commute cost calculator
Enter the distance, your car's fuel economy and fuel price, plus any parking, tolls or fares. See what your commute costs per day, week and year and how many hours it takes.
Private. Runs in your browser; nothing you type leaves your device.
Your results
- Cost per day = round-trip distance divided by fuel economy, times the fuel price, plus parking, tolls and transit fares.
- Cost per week = cost per day times commuting days; cost per year = cost per week times commuting weeks, in the currency you entered.
- Hours a year = two trips a day times the minutes one way, times days and weeks, divided by 60. Car upkeep and insurance are not included.
How to use it
- Enter your distance and fuel costs. Type the one-way distance, your car's fuel economy and the fuel price, using the same units throughout, such as miles and gallons. Leave the distance at 0 if you do not drive.
- Add parking, tolls and fares. Enter what you pay on each commuting day for parking, tolls and transit fares for the round trip. Leave any that do not apply to you at 0.
- Set your days, weeks and travel time. Enter the days a week you commute, the weeks a year you travel to work and the minutes each way. Then read the cost per day, week and year and the hours a year spent commuting.
Example
What was entered
- Distance one way
- 15 miles
- Commuting days per week
- 5 days
- Miles per unit of fuel
- 30
- Fuel price per unit
- 3.50
- Parking per day
- 10.00
- Tolls per day
- 0.00
- Transit fares per day
- 0.00
- Minutes one way
- 30
- Commuting weeks per year
- 48 weeks
The result
- Cost per day (in your currency)
- 13.50
- Cost per week (in your currency)
- 67.50
- Cost per year (in your currency)
- 3,240.00
- Hours commuting a year
- 240
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Related guides
Frequently asked questions
How is the commute cost calculated?
The daily cost is the round-trip distance divided by your fuel economy, times the fuel price, plus parking, tolls and fares. A 15-mile drive each way in a car that does 30 miles per gallon, at 3.50 a gallon, uses 3.50 of fuel a day, and 10 of parking makes 13.50. Five days a week for 48 weeks comes to 3,240 a year.
Why does it start at 48 weeks instead of 52?
You are unlikely to travel to work every week of the year once holidays and time off are taken out, so the calculator starts at 48 weeks. Change it to match your own year, for example fewer weeks if you take more time off or work from home some weeks.
Does it include wear and tear on my car?
No. It counts fuel, parking, tolls and fares, the costs you pay on each commuting day. Maintenance, tires, insurance and the car losing value also grow with the distance you drive. To include them, estimate a daily amount and add it to the parking or tolls figure.
How can I use this when comparing job offers?
Run the calculator once for each job's commute and subtract the yearly cost from that job's pay. The hours a year matter too, because a longer commute takes time you are not paid for. The real hourly wage calculator turns both the cost and the time into pay per hour.