Free tool
Shipping vs driving calculator
Driving a sedan roughly 1,713 road miles from Chicago to Phoenix costs about $1,258 in fuel, 3 hotel nights, meals and wear, plus 28 hours at the wheel. Shipping it on an open carrier is estimated at $1,345–$1,675 for October 2026, so driving costs less in cash. Enter your route and local prices to compare your move.
Updated October 2026
Worked example: Chicago to Phoenix
About 1,713 road miles, 4 driving days. Fuel at 25 mpg and $4.465 a gallon (EIA U.S. average for regular, week of September 28, 2026): $306. Lodging 3 nights at $160: $480. Meals 4 days at $68: $272. Wear at $0.12/mi: $200. Driving total: $1,258 plus about 28 hours of your time. Shipping a sedan on an open carrier in October 2026 is estimated at $1,345–$1,675.
The HaulFare Ship vs Drive Study runs the same defaults on 25 busy US routes, with a free CSV.
Method
Driving cost = fuel (miles ÷ mpg × price) + lodging ((days − 1) × rate) + meals (days × rate) + wear (miles × $/mi) + time (miles ÷ 62 mph × $/h). Days = miles ÷ your daily miles, rounded up. Shipping cost = the HaulFare price model estimate for your ZIPs and vehicle at October 2026 inputs, plus any one-way flight you enter. The range runs from 10% below to 12% above the midpoint; when the driving total lands inside it, the result reads too close to call. HaulFare is a price guide, not a broker or carrier: the licensed transport partner confirms the actual price, which can be higher or lower.
The defaults are the assumptions of the Ship vs Drive Study: 25 mpg, gas at $4.465 a gallon (EIA U.S. average for regular, week of September 28, 2026), 500 miles a day at an average 62 mph including stops, $160 a hotel night and $68 a day for meals (HaulFare assumptions), and 12 cents a mile for maintenance, tires and mileage-driven depreciation (an assumption; AAA's 2025 figure for maintenance, repair and tires alone is 11.04 cents a mile).
Shipping vs driving calculator FAQ
Is it cheaper to ship a car or drive it?
In the HaulFare Ship vs Drive Study (October 2026, 25 routes), driving a sedan yourself (fuel, hotels, meals and wear) cost less than the low end of the shipping estimate range on every one of the 16 routes between 800 and 1,500 miles. Shipping was estimated to cost less on 3 routes, all 2,056 miles or longer, and on 2 routes the driving total fell inside the shipping range, too close to call. That is the study finding at its current gas, hotel and meal assumptions, before counting your time or a one-way flight, both of which you can add in this calculator.
What does driving really cost per mile?
AAA's Your Driving Costs 2025 puts the average cost of owning and operating a new car at 77 cents a mile at 15,000 miles a year. Fuel is 13 cents of that (with regular gas averaging $3.151 a gallon) and maintenance, repair and tires 11.04 cents; depreciation, insurance, finance charges, and license, registration and taxes make up the rest. This calculator counts fuel at your mpg and gas price (at the 25 mpg and $4.465 defaults, 18 cents a mile) plus a wear figure you can edit (default 12 cents a mile).
What hotel and meal figures should I use?
Your own, if you know them. The $160 a night hotel default is a HaulFare assumption for one mid-priced room, the same figure the Ship vs Drive Study uses; for comparison, CoStar reports an average daily rate of $160.54 across all U.S. hotels in 2025. The $68 a day meal default is also an assumption; the lowest FY2026 tier of the federal per diem allows $63 for breakfast, lunch and dinner ($16, $19 and $28) plus $5 for incidentals (GSA).
Should I count my time?
If you would otherwise be working, yes. At 500 miles a day and an average of 62 mph including stops, a 2,000-mile drive is about 32 hours behind the wheel over 4 days. Enter an hourly value, or leave it at zero to compare cash costs only; when driving costs less, the result shows the hourly value at which the two break even.
What about the flight home or to the destination?
If shipping means you fly instead, add the one-way fare to the shipping side; the calculator has a field for it. Many relocations already involve a flight, in which case it belongs on both sides and cancels out.
