Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
True annual cost including your time
$13,507.47
Out-of-pocket cost
$3,427.47
Hours per year commuting
224
Value of that time
$10,080.00
Cash cost per commute day
$17.85
Miles driven per year
6,528
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter round-trip miles.
- 2Enter commute days per week.
- 3Enter weeks per year.
- 4Enter vehicle mpg.
- 5Enter gas price ($/gal).
- 6Enter maintenance + depreciation ($/mile).
- 7Enter parking + tolls per day ($).
- 8Enter round-trip minutes.
- 9Enter your hourly wage ($).
- 10Read your true annual cost including your time on the right — it updates as you type.
- 11Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Gas is the smallest part. Depreciation, maintenance, parking, and the value of unpaid hours in the car usually triple the sticker cost of a daily drive.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Round-trip miles: 34
- Commute days per week: 4
- Weeks per year: 48
- Vehicle MPG: 28
- Gas price: 3.6 $/gal
- Maintenance + depreciation: 0.22 $/mile
- Parking + tolls per day: 6 $
- Round-trip minutes: 70
- Your hourly wage: 45 $
Results
- True annual cost including your time: $13,507.47
- Out-of-pocket cost: $3,427.47
- Hours per year commuting: 224
- Value of that time: $10,080.00
- Cash cost per commute day: $17.85
- Miles driven per year: 6,528
What each field means
Inputs
- Round-trip miles
- The round-trip miles used in the calculation. Starts at 34 so you have a working example on load.
- Commute days per week
- The commute days per week used in the calculation. Starts at 4 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–7.
- Weeks per year
- The weeks per year used in the calculation. Starts at 48 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–52.
- Vehicle MPG
- The vehicle mpg used in the calculation. Starts at 28 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 5–80.
- Gas price ($/gal)
- The gas price used in the calculation, measured in $/gal. Starts at 3.6 $/gal so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0.5–10 $/gal.
- Maintenance + depreciation ($/mile)
- The maintenance + depreciation used in the calculation, measured in $/mile. Starts at 0.22 $/mile so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–1 $/mile.
- Parking + tolls per day ($)
- The parking + tolls per day used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 6 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Round-trip minutes
- The round-trip minutes used in the calculation. Starts at 70 so you have a working example on load.
- Your hourly wage ($)
- The your hourly wage used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 45 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- True annual cost including your time
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Out-of-pocket cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Hours per year commuting
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Value of that time
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cash cost per commute day
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Miles driven per year
- Returned as a whole number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the true commute cost calculator work?
Gas is the smallest part. Depreciation, maintenance, parking, and the value of unpaid hours in the car usually triple the sticker cost of a daily drive. The underlying maths is: Cost = Miles × cost per mile + parking + tolls; time cost = hours × hourly wage.
What do I need to enter?
9 values: round-trip miles, commute days per week, weeks per year, vehicle mpg, gas price, maintenance + depreciation, parking + tolls per day, round-trip minutes, and your hourly wage. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the true annual cost including your time result mean?
It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
Accuracy and 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.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Commute Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commute-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commute-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Commute Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Commute Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/commute-cost) (2026).