Drive across: how much does it would
Road travel in the United States is becoming more and more popular as an alternative to expensive flights. This is especially true if your destination is far from the country’s major airports. The price of a ticket to remote corners is usually much higher than for popular regular flights. The cost of oil is the determining factor for the price of both flight and car travel, but in the latter case, the correlation is less pronounced. Taking into account the reduced price of oil at the moment, road travel can be very profitable.
We carried out an analysis, based on which we compiled an approximate estimate of travel from New York to Los Angeles and the cost driving cross country, within these directions..
Gas
Between New York and Los Angeles – 2,800 miles. Even if you travel by hybrid car, stops at gas stations will be quite frequent. In order to simplify the calculations, we will take a Toyota Camry as an example. The fuel consumption of this vehicle is 1 gallon/35 miles on highway (1 gallon/25 miles on city roads). The estimated travel route is mainly along the highway. It will take 80 gallons of fuel to cover this distance.
The cost of gas in different states can vary markedly. Therefore, for calculations, we take the average price for the country. In March 2020, the cost of fuel was fixed at $ 2.17. After some simple calculations, we determined that the fuel for the trip would cost a little more than $ 170.
how much would it cost drive across country: Food
Food prices can vary a lot if you are traveling cross country. You should understand that dining in a restaurant will cost much more than eating at McDonald’s.
The cost of food in the country over the past 7 years has grown by almost 6%. To calculate the cost of food for the estimated trip, we will take into account the period of 7 days. Having budgeted $ 10 for each meal 3 times a day, we end up with just over $ 220 for meals.
How much does it cost drive across country: Residence
It will be simply impossible to spend the whole 7 days of travel in a car. If you choose not too expensive hotels for the night, the price for a room which fluctuates around $ 126, then accommodation during a seven-day trip will cost you $ 756.
For those wishing to save money, there are special inexpensive motels and campgrounds. This will help to significantly reduce travel costs.
Travel estimate – cost drive cross country
Combining all the cost groups for the seven-day trip from New York to Los Angeles, we get $ 1,151. It is worth noting that in 2015 a similar trip would have cost $ 8 more. This is due to the decline in gas prices.
It should be noted that these calculations are approximate. A dozen different variables that determine the price of travel in the United States are in constant flux.