— Salary & Income
Commute Cost Calculator
Estimate the real cost of commuting. Add driving or transit costs, parking, tolls, vehicle wear, and optional time value to see daily, monthly, and annual totals plus the hours spent getting to work.
Annual commute cost
$1,008
- Monthly cost
- $84
- Daily cost
- $4.20
- Time spent (hours/year)
- 240
- Cost per mile
- $0.14
Try: 15-mile drive, 25 mpg, Drive + wear + $10 parking, Transit $6/day, Long drive, time at $30/hr
— Cost breakdown
| Item | Annual |
|---|---|
| Fuel | $1,008 |
| = Annual commute cost | $1,008 |
— Cost composition
Download— How it works
Drive: (distance × 2 × days × weeks ÷ mpg × fuel price) + wear per mile + parking + tolls. Transit: round-trip fare × commuting days. Time spent = minutes (round trip) × days.
What a commute really costs
The obvious cost is fuel or the fare, but driving adds parking, tolls, and the slow drain of wear and tear — maintenance, tyres and depreciation that the fuel gauge never shows. Add them up across a year of trips and the total surprises most people. This figures the daily, monthly and annual cost, and the hours you hand over to the journey.
Worked example — 15 miles each way, 25 mpg, fuel $3.50/gal, 5 days a week, 48 weeks: 30 miles a day ÷ 25 × $3.50 = $4.20 fuel a day → about $1,008 a year (≈ $84/month). Add $0.20/mile wear ($6/day) and $10 parking and it climbs past $4,800 a year.
Drive vs transit, and vehicle wear
Switch the mode to transit and the cost is simply your round-trip fare across the year — no fuel maths, though you can still add park-and-ride parking. For driving, vehicle wear is the most-missed cost: the IRS standard mileage rate is about $0.67 a mile and bundles in fuel, so roughly $0.20 a mile is a fair estimate of wear, maintenance and depreciation on their own. Leave it blank for a fuel-only figure, or add it for the true cost of running the car to work.
The time, and what it’s worth
Money isn’t the whole story — a 30-minute each-way commute is an hour a day, around 240 hours a year. Enter your commute time to see those hours, and an hourly value to price them. It isn’t cash out of pocket, but it’s a real cost worth weighing, especially against working from home — see the Remote Work Savings calculator for the full comparison.
— Reader questions
How much does my commute cost?
For a typical 15-mile each-way drive at 25 mpg and $3.50 fuel, about $1,000 a year in fuel alone — and often $4,000–$6,000 once parking, tolls and vehicle wear are included. Enter your details for an exact figure.
How do I calculate the cost of driving to work?
Round-trip miles × commuting days a year ÷ your mpg × fuel price, plus a per-mile wear allowance, parking and tolls. This calculator does it and shows the daily, monthly and annual totals.
Should I include vehicle wear and tear?
For the true cost, yes. Beyond fuel, driving wears tyres and the car and adds maintenance and depreciation — roughly $0.20 a mile. The IRS standard rate of about $0.67/mile includes fuel and everything else.
How much time does commuting take?
A 30-minute each-way trip is an hour a day, about 240 hours — six full working weeks — over a year. A one-hour each-way commute doubles that.
Is it cheaper to work from home?
Usually much cheaper — you avoid the commute entirely, plus daily lunches and work clothes. The Remote Work Savings calculator adds those up against any extra home-office costs.