Drive or Fly? A Family of 4 Pays $394 to Drive 500 Miles and $2,300 to Fly
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One car costs the same whether 1 or 5 people ride in it; plane tickets multiply. At this week's $4.28 gas and AAA's 2026 per-mile costs, see the round-trip total for both, door-to-door hours, what each hour saved by flying costs, and the group size where driving wins.
The car costs the same for one or five
A car’s cost depends on miles, not passengers. Plane tickets multiply. So the answer to “drive or fly” usually comes down to how many of you are going, more than how far.
We priced a round trip at this week’s gas (EIA’s U.S. average for regular, $4.284, week of October 19, 2026), a 28 mpg car and AAA’s 2026 per-mile costs: 11.73¢ for maintenance, repairs and tires and 8.38¢ for the extra depreciation. That’s 35.4¢ a mile. Flying uses example values: $400 round trip per person, one checked bag each at $40 each way, $80 of airport parking or rides, and a rental car at $60 a day for 5 days.
| One-way miles | Drive, round trip | Fly, family of 4 | Fly, alone | Door to door, one way (drive / fly) | Driving cheaper from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 | $252 | $2,300 | $860 | 5.0 h / 4.1 h | 1 traveler |
| 500 | $394 | $2,300 | $860 | 8.3 h / 4.5 h | 1 traveler |
| 800 | $907 | $2,300 | $860 | 13.3 h / 5.1 h | 2 travelers |
| 1,200 | $1,190 | $2,300 | $860 | 20.0 h / 5.9 h | 2 travelers |
| 2,000 | $2,356 | $2,300 | $860 | 33.3 h / 7.5 h | 5 travelers |
The drive totals include tolls and parking ($40) and, from 800 miles on, hotel nights at $150 when the drive takes more than 10 hours a day. At 2,000 miles that’s three nights each way, and flying finally wins for the family of four, by $56.
For a family, the more useful number is what flying costs per hour it saves. At 500 miles the family pays $1,906 more to save 7.7 hours, $249 an hour. At 1,200 miles it’s $1,110 for 28 hours, $39 an hour, which is where flying starts to look reasonable even when driving is cheaper.
Where the break-even falls for different fares, and why the gas price barely moves the answer, is in drive or fly for the holidays.
How the math works
- Car cost per mile:
gas price ÷ mpg + maintenance per mile + depreciation per mile - Drive:
2 × one-way miles × cost per mile + tolls and parking + hotel nights × rate, with hotel nights each way= days of driving − 1 - Fly:
travelers × (fare + bags × 2 × bag fee) + airport parking or rides + rental days × daily rate - Hours one way: driving
miles ÷ average speed; flyingairport time + miles ÷ 500 mph + 0.5 h
AAA’s 2026 Your Driving Costs puts the average vehicle’s depreciation $419 a year higher at 20,000 miles than at 15,000, so we count 8.38¢ for each extra mile. Insurance and registration don’t change with one trip, so they’re left out. If you’d sell the car at the same price regardless, switch depreciation off.
Math runs locally. Inputs never leave your browser. Source on github.
Where this doesn’t apply
- No car, or a car that can’t do the trip. Renting a car for the drive changes the math: use the rental’s daily rate and gas instead of AAA’s per-mile costs.
- Connections and flight delays. The flying time assumes a nonstop at 500 mph. A connection adds 1 to 3 hours each way.
- Small children, pets and lots of gear. Some costs are hard to price: a car seat on a plane, a kennel, the third suitcase. Add them to the bag fee or the airport costs.
- Electric cars. Enter the equivalent: your electricity cost per mile in place of gas ÷ mpg, using a gas price that gives the same cents per mile.
- Fatigue and safety. Driving 10 hours a day is a long day. If one adult does all the driving, lower the hours per day; the tool will add hotel nights.
What to actually do
- Price real fares for your dates and enter them, with the bag fees for your fare type.
- Enter your car’s real highway mpg and the gas price along your route.
- Look at both the total and the cost per hour saved. If driving is cheaper but flying saves time at a price below what your days off are worth to you, flying can still be the right call.
- For drives over one day, set the hours per day honestly; the hotel nights often decide it.
- If you’re weighing whether the trip should include travel insurance, run Travel Insurance Value for the nonrefundable part.