Commute Cost Calculator

The visible cost of commuting is gas, but the actual cost — depreciation, insurance, maintenance, time — is several times higher and rarely shows up on anyone's monthly budget.

This calculator factors in fuel (using your MPG and local gas price), wear-and-tear (estimated using the IRS standard mileage rate or a custom value), parking, and tolls. Optionally, it also values your commute time at your hourly rate, since 90 minutes of daily driving is a significant fraction of the workweek that you're not paid for.

The IRS rate (~67¢/mile in 2024) is a useful all-in estimate for personal vehicles, but EVs are much cheaper to operate (closer to 25¢/mile if you charge at home). Public transit, biking, and walking come out shockingly cheap by comparison — usually under $5/day even with fares. The calculator can compare two modes side-by-side so the cost of switching is concrete.

The IRS standard mileage rate captures average all-in cost for a typical car: fuel, depreciation, insurance, maintenance, and repairs. For 2024 it's 67¢/mile. This is what employers reimburse for business mileage and what the IRS lets you deduct for qualifying expenses. The all-in nature is what makes it useful — most people only count gas when they think about driving costs, missing depreciation (which is by far the largest hidden cost) and the annual prorated share of insurance and maintenance. Multiply mileage by the standard rate and you get a realistic number.

The pain this addresses: people genuinely don't know what their commute costs them. The mental model is 'fuel ≈ $50/week.' The actual model includes 4-6¢/mile in tire wear, ~$1,000/year in scheduled maintenance, $1,500-3,000/year in insurance, and depreciation that often exceeds $3,000/year on a typical car. A 30-mile-each-way commute, 250 days/year, at 67¢/mile = $10,050/year. That's not what fits in the gas-station math.

Worked example: 25-mile commute each way, 250 working days, 25 mpg, $4/gallon gas. Direct fuel cost: 50 × 250 × $4 / 25 = $2,000/year. IRS rate cost: 12,500 × $0.67 = $8,375/year. The full cost is 4× the visible fuel cost. Add in $50/month parking + $5/day in tolls × 250 days = $1,250 tolls + $600 parking = $10,225 total. Now consider an alternative: $200/month transit pass = $2,400/year. The difference is $7,825, or about 16% of a $50K salary after taxes. That's a real lifestyle decision.

Where this can mislead: applying the IRS rate to an old paid-off car. The standard rate assumes you're depreciating a recent vehicle. A 12-year-old Camry has very little depreciation left to lose; its true cost per mile is closer to 30¢ than 67¢. Conversely, a luxury car or EV with high purchase price has higher cost per mile than the rate suggests. Use the standard rate as a default; override with a custom rate if you have actual data for your specific vehicle. Commute time, valued at your hourly rate, is often the largest hidden cost regardless of vehicle.