{
  "slug": "commute-cost-annual",
  "title": "Annual Commute Cost Calculator",
  "heading": "Commute Cost Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commute-cost-annual",
  "summary": "Total yearly cost of getting to work — money and hours — by mode.",
  "description": "A commute is a recurring subscription you pay in cash and in time. This calculator totals the annual money cost for driving (fuel, per-mile wear, parking, tolls) or transit (pass or fares), adds the hours consumed, and prices those hours at your own hourly rate to produce a full cost. It also shows what each extra onsite day per week costs, which is the most useful output when negotiating hybrid arrangements — the number turns a scheduling preference into a concrete figure both sides can weigh.",
  "formula": "Driving = (miles × 2 × days × (fuel cost ÷ mpg + wear per mile)) + parking + tolls. Time cost = hours × your hourly value. Total = money + time cost.",
  "dateModified": "2026-08-25",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=commute-cost-annual",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "mode",
      "label": "Commute mode",
      "kind": "select",
      "hint": null,
      "default": "drive",
      "options": [
        {
          "value": "drive",
          "label": "Drive"
        },
        {
          "value": "transit",
          "label": "Public transit"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "milesOneWay",
      "label": "One-way distance",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 18,
      "unit": "miles",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "daysPerWeek",
      "label": "Onsite days per week",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3,
      "unit": "days",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 7
    },
    {
      "id": "weeks",
      "label": "Working weeks per year",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 46,
      "unit": "weeks",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 52
    },
    {
      "id": "mpg",
      "label": "Vehicle efficiency",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 28,
      "unit": "mpg",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "fuelPrice",
      "label": "Fuel price",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3.6,
      "unit": "$/gal",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "wearPerMile",
      "label": "Wear, tyres & depreciation",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0.18,
      "unit": "$/mile",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "parking",
      "label": "Parking per onsite day",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "$/day",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "tolls",
      "label": "Tolls per onsite day",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 0,
      "unit": "$/day",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "transitPass",
      "label": "Transit cost per month",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 110,
      "unit": "$/mo",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "minsOneWay",
      "label": "One-way travel time",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 35,
      "unit": "minutes",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "hourValue",
      "label": "Your hourly time value",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 30,
      "unit": "$/hr",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "total",
      "label": "Full annual cost of commuting",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "money",
      "label": "Cash cost per year",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "timeCost",
      "label": "Value of time spent",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "hours",
      "label": "Hours commuting per year",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "perDayWeek",
      "label": "Cost per weekly onsite day",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "milesPerYear",
      "label": "Miles driven per year",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Commute mode: Drive",
      "One-way distance: 18 miles",
      "Onsite days per week: 3 days",
      "Working weeks per year: 46 weeks",
      "Vehicle efficiency: 28 mpg",
      "Fuel price: 3.6 $/gal",
      "Wear, tyres & depreciation: 0.18 $/mile",
      "Parking per onsite day: 8 $/day",
      "Tolls per onsite day: 0 $/day",
      "Transit cost per month: 110 $/mo",
      "One-way travel time: 35 minutes",
      "Your hourly time value: 30 $/hr"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Full annual cost of commuting: $7,466.98",
      "Cash cost per year: $2,636.98",
      "Value of time spent: $4,830.00",
      "Hours commuting per year: 161",
      "Cost per weekly onsite day: $2,488.99",
      "Miles driven per year: 4,968"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter commute mode.",
      "Enter one-way distance (miles).",
      "Enter onsite days per week (days).",
      "Enter working weeks per year (weeks).",
      "Enter vehicle efficiency (mpg).",
      "Enter fuel price ($/gal).",
      "Enter wear, tyres & depreciation ($/mile).",
      "Enter parking per onsite day ($/day).",
      "Enter tolls per onsite day ($/day).",
      "Enter transit cost per month ($/mo).",
      "Enter one-way travel time (minutes).",
      "Enter your hourly time value ($/hr).",
      "Read your full annual cost of commuting on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "mode": "drive",
        "milesOneWay": 11,
        "daysPerWeek": 2,
        "weeks": 28,
        "mpg": 17,
        "fuelPrice": 2.16,
        "wearPerMile": 0.108,
        "parking": 5,
        "tolls": 0,
        "transitPass": 65,
        "minsOneWay": 20,
        "hourValue": 20
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "mode": "drive",
        "milesOneWay": 18,
        "daysPerWeek": 3,
        "weeks": 46,
        "mpg": 28,
        "fuelPrice": 3.6,
        "wearPerMile": 0.18,
        "parking": 8,
        "tolls": 0,
        "transitPass": 110,
        "minsOneWay": 35,
        "hourValue": 30
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "mode": "drive",
        "milesOneWay": 29,
        "daysPerWeek": 5,
        "weeks": 52,
        "mpg": 45,
        "fuelPrice": 5.760000000000001,
        "wearPerMile": 0.288,
        "parking": 13,
        "tolls": 0,
        "transitPass": 175,
        "minsOneWay": 55,
        "hourValue": 50
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "What per-mile wear figure is realistic?",
      "a": "Depreciation, tyres, and maintenance commonly land somewhere around 15-25 cents per mile for an ordinary car, separate from fuel. Full-cost figures published for reimbursement purposes bundle insurance and registration, which you pay whether or not you commute, so they overstate the marginal cost of a commute."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I price my time at my hourly wage?",
      "a": "Wage is a defensible anchor but not a rule. Commuting time is not convertible to paid work for most employees, so some people value it lower; others value it higher because it is the least pleasant hour of the day. Use whatever figure makes the trade-off feel honest to you."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I use the cost per weekly onsite day?",
      "a": "It converts a schedule negotiation into money. If one extra day per week costs you a four-figure sum annually in cash and time, that is a concrete number to bring to a hybrid conversation, or to weigh against a relocation."
    },
    {
      "q": "Does working from home actually save all of this?",
      "a": "Most of it, minus a modest increase in home utilities and any equipment you buy. The time saving is the larger component for long commutes and is the part people consistently under-count when comparing roles."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/hourly-to-salary-true",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/raise-vs-promotion-value",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/personal-runway-months"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Annual Commute Cost Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commute-cost-annual)"
}