Trip Cost Calculator
The fuel is rarely the expensive part.
Trip Cost Calculator
Add fuel, tolls, parking, lodging, and food into one trip total, then split it per person.
Parking passes, entry fees, pet care
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What This Calculator Does
The Trip Cost Calculator turns a route into a full travel budget: fuel, tolls, parking, lodging, food, and extras, with a per-person and per-mile split. It is deliberately broader than a fuel calculator, because on a multi-day trip the hotel and meals usually cost more than the tank.
How It Works
The one-way distance is doubled when the trip returns to its starting point. Fuel is distance divided by miles per gallon, or distance divided by 100 multiplied by litres per 100 km, then multiplied by the fuel price. Parking is charged per day, lodging per night, and food per person per day. Tolls and other costs are added once. The total is divided by the number of travellers and by the total distance.
Example
A 250-mile each-way trip with 25 mpg at $3.50 per gallon uses 20 gallons and costs $70 in fuel. Add 2 nights of lodging at $120 ($240), 3 days of parking at $12 ($36), food at $40 per person per day for 3 people over 3 days ($360), $30 of tolls, and $50 of extras. The trip total is $786, or $262 per person, and $1.572 per mile.
Formula
one-way distance x 2 when round tripdistance / mpg x price per gallondistance / 100 x litres per 100 km x price per litrefood per person per day x days x travellersfuel + tolls + parking + lodging + food + othertotal / travellersReading the Results
Total trip cost
Everything entered, for the whole party. It is a budget, not a quote: fuel prices, hotel rates, and food spending are yours to estimate.
Cost per person
The total divided by travellers. Shared fuel, lodging, and parking are split evenly here even if one person drives more or eats more.
Fuel share
Fuel as a percentage of the total. On long trips with cheap lodging it can dominate; on short city breaks it is often a small slice.
Sources and References
U.S. Department of Energy - Fuel Economy
Miles per gallon and litres per 100 km
The two efficiency measures are inverses: lower L/100km is better, higher mpg is better.
NIST Special Publication 811 - Guide for the Use of the International System of Units (SI)
US gallon and litre conversion factors
Defines the unit relationship used when switching between imperial and metric fuel prices.
References identify the method or data behind this calculator. Where a standard or tariff changes, the current edition applies, and the assumptions stated above take precedence over a remembered figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from the fuel cost calculator?
The fuel cost calculator prices the fuel for a distance. This one builds a trip budget, adding tolls, parking, lodging, food, and other costs, then splits the result per person. Use this for planning a holiday and the fuel calculator for a single drive.
Should I enter a one-way or round-trip distance?
Enter the one-way distance and leave the round-trip toggle on if you are returning. If you are relocating or not returning, switch it off. The calculator doubles the one-way figure only when the toggle is on.
Why does my metric efficiency look so different?
Miles per gallon and litres per 100 km run in opposite directions. A higher mpg is better; a lower L/100km is better. The unit switch resets the defaults so the numbers are not carried across with the wrong meaning.
What about wear, depreciation, and insurance?
They are not included. Add an estimate to the other-costs field if you want a fuller cost of driving. Depreciation is usually the largest per-mile cost and is not a cash cost on the day of the trip.
How should I split costs between travellers?
The tool splits everything evenly. If one person pays for lodging and another for fuel, use the per-person figure as the equal-share benchmark and settle the difference separately.