How to calculate the cost of driving to work
Double the one-way distance for a round trip, then multiply by the number of days you commute. Fuel gallons equal commute miles divided by MPG. The calculator adds gas, daily parking and tolls, plus an optional per-mile allowance for maintenance and depreciation.
Monthly miles = one-way miles × 2 × commute days
Monthly cost = fuel + parking + tolls + per-mile vehicle costs
Gas cost is only part of a commute
Looking only at gasoline can make a long commute seem cheaper than it is. More miles also consume tires, oil, brakes and vehicle value. Use your own maintenance records when possible, or test a range of per-mile costs to see how the annual total changes.
Compare driving with remote work, transit or carpooling
Change commute days to model a hybrid schedule. For a carpool, compare the result with the amount each rider contributes. For transit, compare the monthly total with a pass plus station parking and first-mile transportation. The annual number makes small daily differences easier to see.
One-way vs. round-trip distance
Enter the distance from home to work once; the calculator doubles it automatically. Include regular detours such as daycare or a park-and-ride when they are part of the commute, but leave personal weekend driving out of this estimate.