Do the math
How much does a road trip really cost?
The Simple Answer
Fuel is the easy part: miles divided by your mpg, times the price of gas. For a 2,000-mile round trip at 25 mpg and $3.50 a gallon it comes to $280. The rest of the bill, hotels and food, is usually bigger.
People often plan a road trip around the gas and forget everything else. Here is a worked example. Every price in it is made up, so swap in your own.
A 1,000-mile trip each way, 2,000 miles in all
Fuel: 2,000 miles ÷ 25 mpg = 80 gallons. 80 × $3.50 = $280.
Hotels: 2 nights at $120 = $240
Food: 4 days at $40 = $160
Tolls and parking: $30
Total: $280 + $240 + $160 + $30 = $710. Split between two people that is $355 each.
| Cost | How to work it out |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Miles ÷ mpg × price per gallon |
| Hotels | Nights × the price per night, plus taxes and fees |
| Food | Days × what you spend on meals in a day |
| Tolls and parking | Look up the route and the places you will stay |
| Wear on the car | Not in the total above: it is real but hard to pin down |
How long the driving takes
Time is miles divided by your average speed. At an average of 60 miles per hour, 1,000 miles is about 16 hours and 40 minutes of driving. That is more than one day for most people, which is why the example includes a night in a hotel each way. Your average is lower than the speed limit because of traffic, fuel stops and meals.
Things people often miss
- A heavily loaded car or a roof box uses more gas than an empty one.
- The return trip costs the same as the outward one, and people forget to double the fuel.
- The advertised hotel price is often not the price you pay. Check taxes and fees.
- Snacks, drinks and small purchases along the way add up faster than they feel.
Trip Cost Estimator: Enter the distance, your fuel economy and the price of gas for a fuel estimate for the whole trip.
When Should I Leave?: Work out what time to leave to arrive when you want to.