How much does commuting cost per year?

A typical US drive-to-work commute (32 miles round trip, 250 days) runs about $6,580 a year in cash: 8,000 miles at the 76-cent 2026 IRS rate plus $2 a day in parking. Add the time and it climbs to $13,580.

What counts in the true cost of a commute?

Fuel, parking, and tolls are the visible part. The full cost adds maintenance, tires, depreciation, and insurance — bundled into the 76-cent-per-mile IRS rate — plus the monetary value of the hours you spend in the car.

Is the IRS mileage rate the right number for commuting?

It is the best public all-in figure for what a mile actually costs: fuel, wear, tires, depreciation, insurance, registration. Note that commuting itself is not tax-deductible; the rate is used here as a cost measure, not a tax claim.

How much does one remote work day save?

For the default commute in this calculator, one remote day a week saves about $1,316 a year in cash and $2,716 counting time. The remote-week tab shows the savings for your own numbers.

How many hours does the average commute waste?

The Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey puts the mean one-way commute at 27.2 minutes — about 227 hours a year, or 5.7 full work-weeks, spent traveling to and from work.

Home › Commute Cost Calculator

Form CC-31 · The Daily-Mile Ledger

Commute Cost Calculator

Your commute costs more than gas money, and you already feel it. This ledger prices the whole thing: every mile at the IRS's 76 cents, parking and tolls by the day, and the hours in the car at the value of your wage. Then flip to the remote-week tab and see what each day at home is worth.

The drive

One-way distance (miles) The US average is about 16 miles. One-way time (minutes) Census 2024 mean: 27.2 minutes. Commute days per year Five days a week for 50 weeks. Daily parking + tolls ($) Downtown parking easily runs $10–30 a day.

The car & the clock

Gas price ($/gallon) Fuel economy (mpg) Your hourly wage ($) Prices the time in the car. Set it to 0 to ignore time cost.

Your commute costs, per year $6,580 $26.32 a day · 8,000 miles · 233 hours in the car

Steady miles

Under $4,000 a year is light traffic. $4,000–$8,000 is the steady American average. Over $8,000 is a heavy ledger.

The 76¢ rate is the IRS 2026 business mileage rate (Jul–Dec, IR-2026-29), used here as the best public all-in figure for a mile driven — fuel, maintenance, tires, depreciation, insurance, registration. Commuting miles are not tax-deductible. Figures are estimates, not financial advice.

Days in the office per week

Uses your numbers from the commute tab. Days you are not in the office cost you nothing.

One remote day a week saves you $1,316 a year in cash · $2,716 counting your time

Days in office	Cash cost/yr	All-in/yr

Remote days are priced at 50 a year (one day a week for 50 working weeks). The savings are linear: two remote days double the number above.

Where the numbers come from

The mile is priced at 76 cents, the IRS's standard mileage rate for business use from July 1, 2026 (Announcement 2026-11; 72.5 cents covered January through June). The rate bundles fixed and variable costs — gas and oil, maintenance, tires, depreciation, insurance, license and registration — which is why it beats any fuel-only estimate by roughly seven times. Commuting itself is generally not deductible; the rate is used here as a cost measure, not a tax claim. The time benchmark is the Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey: a mean one-way travel time of 27.2 minutes, with 9.3% of workers commuting 60 minutes or more each way and 69.2% driving alone.

Questions from the road

How much does commuting cost per year?: A typical US drive-to-work commute (32 miles round trip, 250 days) runs about $6,580 a year in cash: 8,000 miles at the 76-cent 2026 IRS rate plus $2 a day in parking. Add the time and it climbs to $13,580.
What counts in the true cost of a commute?: Fuel, parking, and tolls are the visible part. The full cost adds maintenance, tires, depreciation, and insurance — bundled into the 76-cent-per-mile IRS rate — plus the monetary value of the hours you spend in the car.
Is the IRS mileage rate the right number for commuting?: It is the best public all-in figure for what a mile actually costs: fuel, wear, tires, depreciation, insurance, registration. Note that commuting itself is not tax-deductible; the rate is used here as a cost measure, not a tax claim.
How much does one remote work day save?: For the default commute in this calculator, one remote day a week saves about $1,316 a year in cash and $2,716 counting time. The remote-week tab shows the savings for your own numbers.
How many hours does the average commute waste?: The Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey puts the mean one-way commute at 27.2 minutes — about 227 hours a year, or 5.7 full work-weeks, spent traveling to and from work.