Car vs Public Transit Cost Calculator: Is Going Car-Free Cheaper?

How it works

Car per month = payment + insurance + fuel + maintenance & parking + yearly fees ÷ 12 + depreciation (if not already paid through a loan) · Fuel (optional) = miles ÷ mpg × price per gallon · Transit per month = pass + rideshares and rentals · Savings = car − transit · Over n years = savings × 12 × n, or the future value of monthly deposits at your return · Time cost = (transit − car minutes) × 2 × days ÷ 60 × value per hour

The loan payment is only part of what a car costs. Insurance, fuel, maintenance, tires, parking, registration and the value the car loses each year often add up to as much again. AAA’s 2026 Your Driving Costs study put the average cost of owning and running a new car at $12,863 a year (about $1,072 a month) over five years and 75,000 miles, with depreciation the largest single item at about $4,422 a year. A transit pass puts most travel into one predictable price, but going car-free usually also means some rideshares, car rentals or car-share trips, so add an estimate for those. Enter the car costs you pay each month, or work fuel out from miles, fuel economy and the price per gallon (or km, km/L and price per liter). Use the depreciation field only for a car you own outright: if you enter a loan payment, the payment is already paying for the car. Under More options you can add yearly registration and taxes, compare trip times and put a value on your time, and see the savings over several years, simply added up or invested each month at a chosen return. The comparison assumes you replace the car completely; keeping a car and using transit for some trips saves fuel, parking and wear, but not insurance or the payment.

Worked example

A $450 car payment plus $130 insurance, $160 fuel and $120 maintenance and parking totals $860.00 a month. Against a $100 transit pass, transit saves $860 − $100 = $760.00 a month, or $9,120.00 a year, and $45,600 over the default 5 years. Transit and other trips could cost up to $860.00 a month before the car becomes the cheaper option.

Sources: AAA Your Driving Costs 2026 ($12,863 a year), via WXYZ · AAA 2026 depreciation $4,422 a year, via Finger Lakes 1 · AAA: Your Driving Costs 2025 (new vehicle costs $11,577 a year) · Omni Calculator: commute cost calculator · Cherriots: car vs bus cost comparison · Adelaide Metro: public transport savings estimator

Frequently asked questions