How much does commuting cost per year?

For a 20 mile each way drive in a 25 mpg car, fuel alone is about $1,300 a year at $3.50 gas, before parking, tolls, wear and the value of your time.

Does this include car wear and insurance?

No, it includes fuel, parking and tolls only. To include maintenance, tires and depreciation, you can add a per day amount to the parking and tolls field.

Is a longer commute worth a higher salary?

Compare the raise after tax with the extra fuel, fees and hours shown here. A $5,000 raise can disappear if it adds an hour of driving every day.

Can I use this for a road trip?

Yes. Enter the one way distance, set days per week and weeks per year to 1, and the fuel result shows the cost of one round trip.

Commute Cost Calculator

Find the true yearly cost of your commute, including gas, parking, tolls and the value of the hours you spend on the road.

Miles one way

Minutes one way

min

Days per week

Weeks per year

Fuel economy

mpg

Gas price per gallon

Parking and tolls per day

Value of one hour

Yearly commute cost in money

$1,344.00

$5.60 per workday

Full picture

Fuel: $1,344.00
Parking and tolls: $0.00
Miles per year: 9,600
Hours commuting per year: 240
Value of that time: $4,800.00
Total with time: $6,144.00

How it works

Enter the distance and travel time for one way, then how many days a week and weeks a year you commute. Use 48 or 50 weeks if you take vacation and holidays. The calculator doubles every trip for the round journey to work and back home.

Enter your car's fuel economy and the current gas price. Yearly miles divided by miles per gallon gives the gallons you burn, and gallons times price gives the fuel cost. Add daily parking and tolls to see the total money you spend just to get to work.

Finally, enter what one hour of your time is worth, such as your after-tax hourly pay. Commute hours are unpaid work time, so seeing their value next to the fuel bill can help when comparing jobs, remote work, moving closer or switching to transit.

Formula

days = days per week × weeks per year yearly miles = miles one way × 2 × days fuel = yearly miles ÷ mpg × gas price fees = parking and tolls × days hours = minutes one way × 2 × days ÷ 60 time value = hours × value per hour

Where:

mpg: = Your car's fuel economy in miles per gallon
2: = Round trip, to work and back
value per hour: = What an hour of your time is worth to you

Worked example

A 20 mile commute each way, 5 days a week for 48 weeks, is 9,600 miles a year. At 25 mpg and $3.50 a gallon, fuel costs 9,600 ÷ 25 × 3.50 = $1,344.

At 30 minutes each way that is 240 hours a year in the car, six full 40 hour work weeks. Valued at $20 an hour, the time is worth $4,800, making the full cost $6,144.

Ways to lower your commute cost

Ask your employer about one or two remote days a week; even a single day at home cuts commuting cost and time by 20%. Carpooling with one coworker roughly halves fuel and parking, and many cities offer pre-tax transit and parking benefits that reduce what you pay.

Driving smoothly, keeping tires properly inflated and removing extra weight can improve fuel economy by several percent. When comparing two job offers or two apartments, run this calculator for both. The option with the lower rent or higher salary is not always cheaper once commuting money and hours are included.

Frequently asked questions

Multiply your round trip miles by commuting days, divide by your car's mpg and multiply by the gas price. Then add parking and tolls.

Related calculators

True Hourly Worth CalculatorFind the real work hours behind a purchase after tax and work costs.Open

Distance CalculatorDistance between two points.Open

Speed CalculatorSpeed, distance and time.Open

For informational purposes only. This calculator does not provide financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on these results.