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Commute Cost Calculator

Computes the yearly distance, fuel volume and cost, maintenance, parking and toll cost of a car commute from the one-way distance, commuting days and weeks, fuel consumption and prices, then gives the cost per day, week, month and kilometre, the hours spent driving and a comparison with a public-transport fare.

One-way distance (km)Distance from home to work, one way. Commuting days per week (days) (optional)Days per week you drive to work (e.g. 3 for a hybrid schedule). Commuting weeks per year (weeks) (optional)Weeks per year you commute (52 minus holidays and leave). Fuel consumption (L/100 km) (optional)Average consumption in litres per 100 km (for an EV enter kWh/100 km here and the price per kWh as the fuel price). Fuel price (per L)Price per litre of fuel (or per kWh for an EV), in your currency. Maintenance, tyres and repairs (per km) (optional)Wear cost per km; AAA's 2023 Your Driving Costs puts maintenance, repair and tyres near 10 US cents per mile (≈ 0.06 per km) for a new car. Parking per day (optional)Parking cost per commuting day. Tolls per day (optional)Road tolls or congestion charges per commuting day, both directions. Average speed (km/h) (optional)Average door-to-door speed, to estimate the time spent commuting. Public transport per day (optional)Return fare per commuting day (or a season ticket divided by commuting days) for comparison.

When to use

You want the yearly, monthly or per-day cost of commuting by car, the cost per kilometre, or a comparison with a season ticket or daily fare.

Do not use when: You need the fuel cost of a single trip (use fuel-cost), full ownership cost including depreciation, insurance and financing (add those separately), or CO₂ emissions (use carbon-footprint-driving).

Formula

annual_distance_km = 2 × one_way_distance_km × days_per_week × weeks_per_year; fuel_liters = annual_distance_km × consumption / 100; fuel_cost = fuel_liters × price; maintenance = annual_distance_km × maintenance_cost_per_km; parking_tolls = (parking_per_day + tolls_per_day) × days_per_week × weeks_per_year; total = fuel_cost + maintenance + parking_tolls; cost_per_day = total / commuting days; cost_per_month = total / 12; cost_per_km = total / annual_distance_km; hours_per_year = annual_distance_km / average_speed_km_h; annual_difference = total − public_transport_per_day × commuting days

Only variable, distance-dependent costs and daily fees are counted; depreciation, insurance, tax and financing continue whether or not the car is used for commuting and are excluded (AAA's Your Driving Costs 2023 puts total ownership near 0.80 US$ per mile for a new car driven 15,000 miles a year). Fuel consumption should be the real-world commuting figure, which is typically 10–20 % above the type-approval value.

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Unit	Required	Description
`one_way_distance_km`	number	km	yes	Distance from home to work, one way. Range: > 0, ≤ 1000
`days_per_week`	number	days	default 5	Days per week you drive to work (e.g. 3 for a hybrid schedule). Range: > 0, ≤ 7
`weeks_per_year`	number	weeks	default 48	Weeks per year you commute (52 minus holidays and leave). Range: > 0, ≤ 52
`fuel_consumption_l_per_100km`	number	L/100 km	default 7	Average consumption in litres per 100 km (for an EV enter kWh/100 km here and the price per kWh as the fuel price). Range: > 0, ≤ 50
`fuel_price_per_liter`	number	per L	yes	Price per litre of fuel (or per kWh for an EV), in your currency. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 100
`maintenance_cost_per_km`	number	per km	default 0.05	Wear cost per km; AAA's 2023 Your Driving Costs puts maintenance, repair and tyres near 10 US cents per mile (≈ 0.06 per km) for a new car. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 10
`parking_per_day`	number		default 0	Parking cost per commuting day. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 1000
`tolls_per_day`	number		default 0	Road tolls or congestion charges per commuting day, both directions. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 1000
`average_speed_km_h`	number	km/h	no	Average door-to-door speed, to estimate the time spent commuting. Range: > 0, ≤ 200
`public_transport_per_day`	number		no	Return fare per commuting day (or a season ticket divided by commuting days) for comparison. Range: ≥ 0, ≤ 1000

Outputs

Output	Type	Unit	Description
`annual_distance_km`	number	km	2 × one_way_distance_km × days_per_week × weeks_per_year.
`commuting_days_per_year`	number	days	days_per_week × weeks_per_year.
`fuel_liters_per_year`	number	L	annual_distance_km × fuel_consumption_l_per_100km / 100.
`fuel_cost_per_year`	number		fuel_liters_per_year × fuel_price_per_liter.
`maintenance_per_year`	number		annual_distance_km × maintenance_cost_per_km.
`parking_tolls_per_year`	number		(parking_per_day + tolls_per_day) × commuting days.
`total_annual_cost`	number		Fuel + maintenance + parking and tolls.
`cost_per_day`	number		total_annual_cost / commuting days.
`cost_per_week`	number		total_annual_cost / weeks_per_year.
`cost_per_month`	number		total_annual_cost / 12.
`cost_per_km`	number		total_annual_cost / annual_distance_km.
`hours_per_year`	number	h	annual_distance_km / average_speed_km_h (when a speed is given).
`minutes_per_day`	number	min	Round-trip driving time per commuting day (when a speed is given).
`public_transport_annual_cost`	number		public_transport_per_day × commuting days (when given).
`annual_difference`	number		total_annual_cost − public_transport_annual_cost; positive means the car costs more (when given).

Example

20 km each way, 5 days, 48 weeks, 7 L/100 km at 1.80: {"one_way_distance_km":20,"days_per_week":5,"weeks_per_year":48,"fuel_consumption_l_per_100km":7,"fuel_price_per_liter":1.8,"maintenance_cost_per_km":0.05} → {"annual_distance_km":9600,"fuel_liters_per_year":672,"fuel_cost_per_year":1209.6,"maintenance_per_year":480,"parking_tolls_per_year":0,"total_annual_cost":1689.6,"cost_per_day":7.04,"cost_per_week":35.2,"cost_per_month":140.8,"cost_per_km":0.176}

Same commute with 8 parking + 2 tolls per day, 40 km/h, transit 6 per day: {"one_way_distance_km":20,"fuel_price_per_liter":1.8,"parking_per_day":8,"tolls_per_day":2,"average_speed_km_h":40,"public_transport_per_day":6} → {"parking_tolls_per_year":2400,"total_annual_cost":4089.6,"cost_per_day":17.04,"hours_per_year":240,"minutes_per_day":60,"public_transport_annual_cost":1440,"annual_difference":2649.6}

GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/commute-cost?one_way_distance_km=20&days_per_week=5&weeks_per_year=48&fuel_consumption_l_per_100km=7&fuel_price_per_liter=1.8&maintenance_cost_per_km=0.05

Machine access

API: GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/commute-cost (query parameters) or POST with a JSON body {"inputs": {...}}
Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/commute-cost · Markdown: https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/commute-cost.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/everyday/commute-cost.json
MCP: server https://tttkmbb.com/mcp, tool run_calculator with calculator_id="commute-cost"
OpenAPI operationId: calculate_commute_cost
Freshness: static. Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use (see rate limits).

Sources

AAA – Your Driving Costs (annual study of per-mile ownership and operating costs) (reference)
Commuting (Wikipedia) (reference)

FAQ

Should I include depreciation and insurance?

Not here: they are fixed costs of owning the car. Include them only if giving up the car entirely is the alternative; AAA's figures for a new car put them at more than half of the total cost per mile.

How do I use this for an electric car?

Enter the consumption in kWh per 100 km as fuel_consumption_l_per_100km and the electricity price per kWh as fuel_price_per_liter; the litre labels then read as kWh.

What maintenance cost per km is realistic?

AAA's 2023 study averages about 10 US cents per mile (≈ 0.06 per km) for maintenance, repairs and tyres on a new car; older cars or premium brands can be double that.

Related calculators

Fuel Cost Calculator — Fuel cost of a single trip.
Driving Carbon Footprint Calculator — CO₂ emissions of the same annual distance.
Electricity Cost Calculator — Cost of charging an EV at home.