Road Trip Cost Calculator
Gas is the part everyone remembers, but a couple of hotel nights and four people eating on the road are what actually blow the budget. Put it all in and see the real number — and what each person owes.
Add up what a road trip really costs
Fuel is the obvious line item, but a couple of hotel nights and everyone eating on the road add up fast. Put it all in and split the total across the car.
Total trip cost
$795
Fuel, lodging, and food combined
Per person
$199
Total split across everyone in the car
Fuel cost
$75.00
21.4 gallons
Lodging cost
$240
Food cost
$480
Everyone, across the days away
How the total comes together
Start with fuel. Distance divided by MPG gives you gallons, and gallons times the pump price gives you the gas bill. A 600-mile round trip in a car that gets 28 MPG uses about 21 gallons — call it $75 at $3.50 a gallon.
Then add the nights. Two nights at $120 a room is $240, and if four people are eating around $40 a day across three days, that's roughly $480 in food. Suddenly your $75 gas trip is a $795 weekend.
Split four ways, that's about $200 a head. Seeing it broken out like this is the fastest way to decide whether to skip the second hotel night or pack a cooler instead of buying every meal.
Frequently asked questions
What's included in the total?
Three things: fuel for the whole distance, lodging for the nights you enter, and food for everyone across the days away. Set nights to zero for a same-day drive and the total drops to just gas and one day of food.
How does it work out the fuel cost?
It divides your round-trip distance by your MPG to get gallons, then multiplies by the pump price. So a 600-mile trip at 28 MPG burns about 21 gallons, and at $3.50 a gallon that's roughly $75 in gas.
Why does food count the travel day too?
You still eat on the day you drive, so the tool counts your nights away plus that one extra day. Two nights away means three days of food per person, which keeps the estimate honest.
Does the per-person split cover everything?
It divides the full total, gas and hotels and food, by the number of people sharing. If you'd rather only split fuel and lodging and have everyone buy their own meals, drop the food figure and add it back separately.
Should I use round-trip or one-way distance?
Round-trip, if you're driving home again. Enter the full there-and-back mileage so the fuel cost reflects the whole journey, not just the outbound leg.
What if gas prices change along the way?
Use an average for the route. Prices drift between states and stations, so a middle-of-the-road number gets you close. Nudge it up a few cents if you're crossing pricier areas.