Road Trip Cost Calculator

Total trip cost —

Cost per traveler: —
Fuel cost: —
Fuel used: —
Total cost per mile or km: —

Where the trip budget goes

The chart appears with your result

A road trip costs the fuel you burn plus where you sleep and eat. Fuel is distance ÷ mpg × price: a 600-mile round trip at 25 mpg uses 24 gallons, or $84 at $3.50. Add two nights at $120, three days of food for two at $40 each and $20 tolls, and the trip comes to $584, or $292 per person.

About this tool

Fuel is usually the smallest part of a multi-day drive, yet it is the number most people price first. This calculator puts the whole trip on one page: the fuel for the distance you drive, lodging for each night away, a daily food allowance for every traveler, and tolls, parking or other fixed costs. It shows the total, the share per traveler, the fuel volume and the cost per mile or kilometre, with a chart of where the budget goes. It works in miles and mpg or in kilometres and litres per 100 km. The fuel figure assumes a steady rated economy; mountain roads, roof boxes, heavy loads and highway speeds above 65 mph can raise real consumption by 10 to 25 percent, so pad the estimate for those.

How to use it

Pick units and distance
Choose miles with mpg or kilometres with L/100 km, enter the one-way distance, and leave Round trip on if you drive back.
Enter fuel economy and price
Use your car's real-world figure if you know it, and the local pump price per gallon or litre.
Add travelers, nights and daily costs
Use the steppers for people and nights, then set the lodging rate per night and food budget per person per day.
Add tolls and extras
Put tolls and parking in one box and tickets or rental fees in Other; the total and per-person split update as you type.

Examples

600 mi round trip, 2 nights, 2 people

Units: Miles and mpg
One-way distance: 300
Round trip (drive back too): Yes
Fuel economy: 25
Fuel price per gallon or litre: 3.5
Travelers: 2
Nights away: 2
Lodging per night: 120
Food per person per day: 40
Tolls and parking: 20
Other costs: 0

Result Total trip cost: $584.00
Cost per traveler: $292.00
Fuel cost: $84.00
Fuel used: 24 gal
Total cost per mile or km: 0.973

Distance driven = 600 mi (there and back)
Fuel = 600 ÷ 25 = 24 gal
Fuel cost = 24 × 3.5 = 84
Lodging = 2 nights × 120 = 240
Food = 3 days × 2 people × 40 = 240
Total = 84 + 240 + 240 + 20 + 0 = 584

24 gallons at $3.50 is $84 of fuel; two nights at $120 and three days of food for two at $40 each add $480, plus $20 in tolls.

500 km round trip, 4 people, no overnight

Units: Km and L/100 km
One-way distance: 250
Round trip (drive back too): Yes
Fuel economy: 6
Fuel price per gallon or litre: 1.8
Travelers: 4
Nights away: 0
Lodging per night: 0
Food per person per day: 15
Tolls and parking: 10
Other costs: 0

Result Total trip cost: $124.00
Cost per traveler: $31.00
Fuel cost: $54.00
Fuel used: 30 L
Total cost per mile or km: 0.248

Distance driven = 500 km (there and back)
Fuel = 500 × 6 ÷ 100 = 30 L
Fuel cost = 30 × 1.8 = 54
Lodging = 0 nights × 0 = 0
Food = 1 days × 4 people × 15 = 60
Total = 54 + 0 + 60 + 10 + 0 = 124

500 km at 6 L/100 km burns 30 L; at 1.80 per litre that is 54, plus 60 for one day of food for four and 10 in tolls.

How it is calculated

Total = D × F × P + N × L + (N + 1) × T × M + tolls + other

D: distance driven (doubled for a round trip)
F: fuel per unit distance: 1 ÷ mpg, or L/100 km ÷ 100
P: fuel price per gallon or litre
N: nights away; L is the lodging rate per night
T: number of travelers; M is food per person per day

Fuel volume is distance divided by miles per gallon, or distance times litres per 100 km divided by 100. Multiplying by the pump price gives the fuel cost. Lodging is charged per night, while food is counted per day, and a trip with N nights spans N + 1 days. Tolls and other costs are added as fixed amounts. The per-traveler figure divides the whole total evenly, which assumes everyone shares the car and the room.

When not to use it

Splitting costs unevenly, such as when one traveler pays for the room.
Trips in an electric car, where you pay per kWh rather than per gallon or litre.
Comparing flying against driving, which also needs airfare and time costs.

Common mistakes

Entering the round-trip distance and leaving Round trip switched on, which doubles it again.
Using the window-sticker highway mpg for a loaded car in hilly country.
Forgetting that two nights away means three days of meals.
Mixing a price per gallon with metric units, or a price per litre with mpg.

Frequently asked questions

How is the fuel part worked out?

In US units the gallons are miles divided by mpg: 600 miles at 25 mpg is 24 gallons. In metric the litres are kilometres times L/100 km divided by 100: 500 km at 6 L/100 km is 30 litres. Either volume is multiplied by the price you enter.

Why does food use one more day than lodging?

A trip with two nights away runs across three calendar days: you eat on the day you leave, the day in between and the day you return. A day trip with zero nights still counts one day of food.

What fuel economy figure should I use?

Your own long-run average from the trip computer or from fill-up records beats the official rating. For a fully loaded car or a roof box, take 10 to 15 percent off the mpg figure, or add the same share to L/100 km.

Is the per-person cost fair if one traveler is a child?

It divides the total evenly across every traveler. If a child eats less or someone sleeps elsewhere, lower the food rate or work the split out by hand from the totals shown.

Does it include wear on the car?

No. Tyres, oil and depreciation are not counted unless you add them under Other costs. A common rule is a few cents per mile; enter your estimate times the distance there.

Can I use a currency other than dollars?

Yes. The arithmetic does not depend on the currency, so enter prices in euros or pounds and read the totals in the same currency, ignoring the dollar sign.

Cite this tool

Using this tool in an assignment, article or report? Copy a citation, or a link for your website.

APA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. (2026, October 14). Road Trip Cost Calculator. Tools Directory. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://tools.milunir.com/travel/road-trips-and-distance/road-trip-cost-calculator/

MLA

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Road Trip Cost Calculator.” Tools Directory, 14 Oct. 2026, https://tools.milunir.com/travel/road-trips-and-distance/road-trip-cost-calculator/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Tools Directory Editorial Team. “Road Trip Cost Calculator.” Tools Directory. Last modified October 14, 2026. Accessed October 26, 2026. https://tools.milunir.com/travel/road-trips-and-distance/road-trip-cost-calculator/.

Link

<a href="https://tools.milunir.com/travel/road-trips-and-distance/road-trip-cost-calculator/">Road Trip Cost Calculator – Tools Directory</a>