Planning Road Trip Costs: Fuel, Lodging, Food, and Tolls
A useful road-trip budget separates fuel math from lodging, food, and tolls—then adds a little room for surprises.
Start with distance and MPG
Total miles divided by a realistic MPG, times your expected pump price, is the fuel core. Optimistic window-sticker MPG is the most common under-estimate.
Lodging is more than the headline rate
Nightly ads often exclude occupancy tax and resort fees. Either raise the nightly number or run the hotel cost worksheet.
Related tools
Use the gas cost calculator for a fuel-only leg, the road trip cost calculator for a full stack, and travel time for ETA planning with breaks.