Commute cost calculator
Petrol, EV or bus: put in the trip you actually do and see what each one costs you a week and a year, using this week's fuel prices, power prices and bus fares.
Source MBIE weekly fuel prices, NZTA, regional councilsChecked 16 October 2026Streetwise. Free, no sign-up.
Works out fuel or charging, road user charges, parking and bus fares (with fare caps) for the trip you enter. Nothing you type leaves your device.
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How the calculator works
It takes your one-way distance, doubles it for the trip home, and multiplies by the days and weeks you go in. A 15 km trip, five days a week for 46 weeks, is 6,900 km a year. Then it works out what that distance costs each way you could travel.
Petrol or diesel car
Kilometres times your car's fuel use times the price of a litre, plus parking. A diesel vehicle also pays road user charges, because diesel is not taxed at the pump the way petrol is. The price of petrol already includes fuel excise duty of about 70 cents a litre, which pays for roads.
Electric car
Kilometres times your car's energy use, with a little extra for the power lost while charging, times what you pay for power. Light electric cars have paid road user charges since 1 April 2024, at $76 for every 1,000 km, so we add that too. For most people charging at home, road user charges cost about as much as the power itself.
Bus or train
Two fares a day on a stored-value card (such as AT HOP, Snapper, Metrocard or Bee Card), with any daily or weekly fare cap taken off. Once you hit a cap, the rest of that day's or week's trips are free.
The prices we use
| What | Starting figure | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol (91) | $3.54 a litre | MBIE weekly fuel price monitoring, average pump price, week ending 11 October 2026 |
| Diesel | $3.21 a litre | MBIE weekly fuel price monitoring, week ending 9 October 2026 |
| Home power | 42.1 cents a kWh | MBIE quarterly survey of domestic electricity prices, national average, 15 August 2026 |
| Public fast charging | 68 cents a kWh | Gen Less (EECA) estimate. There is no official survey of charger prices, so check the price on your charger's app |
| Road user charges | $76 per 1,000 km (EVs and light diesels), $38 (plug-in hybrids) | NZ Transport Agency and the Ministry of Transport |
| Fuel and energy use | 6.9 L/100km petrol, 15.7 kWh/100km EV | Gen Less, based on New Zealand's top-selling cars |
| Tyres and servicing | Petrol 37c, diesel 38c, electric 23c a km, all running costs included | Inland Revenue kilometre rates for 2025-26 (the "tier 2" running-cost rate) |
Fuel prices move every week. Type in what you paid last time you filled up for the most accurate answer.
Adult bus fares by city
One-way adult fares on each network's stored-value card, as published by the council or transport agency. Paying cash usually costs more.
| Where | Fare each way | Fare cap |
|---|---|---|
| Auckland (AT HOP) | $3.00 for 1 zone, $4.90 for 2, $6.50 for 3, $7.90 for 4 or more | $50 per 7 days |
| Wellington region (Snapper, peak) | $2.12 for 1 zone, $3.50 for 2, $4.67 for 3, up to $18.50 for 14 zones. Off-peak fares are 20% cheaper | No cap. Day passes from $15 |
| Christchurch (Metrocard) | $3.00 anywhere | $6 a day, $30 a week |
| Hamilton and Waikato (Bee Card) | $1.50 in the central city zone, $2.90 for 1 zone, $4.40 for 2, $5.90 for 3, $7.30 for 4 | A week costs no more than 9 trips |
| Tauranga (Bee Card) | $3.10 within Tauranga | Daysaver $8.90 |
| Dunedin (Bee Card) | $2.50 anywhere until 31 October 2026. From 1 November: $2.50 for 1 zone, $4.00 for 2, $7.50 for 3, $10.00 for 4 | None |
| Palmerston North (Bee Card) | $2.20 | $17.60 a week |
Christchurch is replacing the Metrocard with Motu Move on 23 November 2026, with the same fares and caps. If you have a Community Services Card, every one of these networks offers about half-price fares through Community Connect. You usually need to register your card first.
Ways to cut the cost
- Check your parking. In a city centre, parking often costs more than the fuel. Many councils run cheaper early-bird or park and ride options.
- Use your Community Services Card. Community Connect roughly halves bus and train fares. Register your card with your local network to get it.
- Travel off-peak in Wellington. Metlink's off-peak fares are 20% cheaper than peak.
- Charge your EV overnight. Many power companies sell a cheaper night rate. Compare plans on Powerswitch, or read our guide to switching power company.
- Share the drive. Two people carpooling halve the fuel and parking each.
- Mix and match. Bus two days and drive three, and change the days field to see what each part costs.
What this calculator does not cover
It counts the costs that change with how much you drive: fuel or charging, road user charges and parking. Tyres and servicing are shown as a separate estimate. It leaves out costs you pay whether you commute or not, like buying the car, insurance and registration, and the time each trip takes. If the bus would mean you could sell a car altogether, the saving is much bigger than shown here.
Questions people ask
Is it cheaper to drive or take the bus in NZ?
It depends on the distance and parking. For a 15 km trip in Auckland, five days a week, petrol costs about $1,685 a year in fuel and a 2-zone AT HOP fare about $2,254 a year. Add $10 a day for parking and the car costs about $4,000 a year, so the bus wins. Put in your own trip to see which is cheaper for you.
How much does an EV cost to run per km in NZ?
At the average home power price of 42.1 cents a kWh, a typical EV uses about 7 cents of power a km. Road user charges add 7.6 cents a km, so about 15 cents a km in total. A typical petrol car uses about 24 cents of fuel a km at $3.54 a litre.
Do electric cars pay road user charges?
Yes. Since 1 April 2024, light electric vehicles pay $76 for every 1,000 km and plug-in hybrids pay $38. Petrol cars pay fuel excise duty at the pump instead. The Government plans to move all vehicles onto road user charges, but no date has been set.
What is a bus fare cap?
A fare cap is the most you pay in a day or week. After that, trips are free. Auckland caps AT HOP fares at $50 per 7 days, Christchurch at $6 a day and $30 a week, and Palmerston North at $17.60 a week.
Why does the calculator use 46 weeks?
Most full-time workers get four weeks' annual leave plus up to 12 public holidays, so they go in for about 46 weeks a year. Change it if your year looks different.
Is what I type saved anywhere?
No. The calculator runs inside your own browser. Nothing you type is sent to us or anyone else, and it is gone when you close the page.
More free NZ tools
Sources: MBIE: weekly fuel price monitoring, MBIE: domestic electricity prices, August 2026, NZTA: road user charges factsheet, Ministry of Transport: excise and RUC rates, Gen Less: EV running costs, Inland Revenue: kilometre rates 2025-26, Auckland Transport, Metlink, Metro Christchurch, Busit, Baybus, Orbus Dunedin, Horizons.