A week-long road trip for two people in Europe typically costs between €900 and €1,600, and in the US between $1,100 and $1,900. Fuel is rarely the biggest line — accommodation is. This guide breaks the number down piece by piece, gives you the formulas to run your own estimate, and shows how to keep the figure honest once the route changes.
The five numbers that decide your budget
Every road trip cost estimate reduces to five inputs. Get these right and the rest is arithmetic.
| Input | Where to get it | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Total distance | Your route, not the straight line | 1,200–2,500 km per week |
| Fuel consumption | Car manual or last three fill-ups | 5.5–9 L/100 km |
| Fuel price | Local average at your dates | €1.55–1.95 / $3.10–4.20 |
| Nights away | Trip length minus travel days home | 5–7 |
| Daily spend per person | Food, entries, parking | €35–70 / $45–85 |
The mistake most people make is estimating distance from the map's point-to-point line. Real routes add 15–25% through detours, town centres, and the scenic road you took precisely because it was scenic.
How to calculate fuel cost for a road trip
The formula is short:
Fuel cost = (total km ÷ 100) × litres per 100 km × price per litre
For a 1,800 km week in a car doing 7 L/100 km at €1.75 per litre:
(1800 ÷ 100) × 7 × 1.75 = €220.50
In US units: (total miles ÷ mpg) × price per gallon. A 1,100-mile trip at 30 mpg and $3.60 per gallon comes to $132.
Two adjustments matter. Motorway cruising at 130 km/h burns roughly 20% more than the same distance at 100 km/h, and a roof box adds 10–15%. If your route is mountain-heavy, budget the higher end of your car's range rather than the brochure figure.
What a real week costs: three worked examples
| Trip | Distance | Fuel | Lodging | Food & extras | Tolls/parking | Total (2 people) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona → Andalucía, 7 nights | 1,750 km | €215 | €630 | €490 | €95 | €1,430 |
| Munich → Dolomites, 5 nights | 1,100 km | €140 | €520 | €360 | €70 | €1,090 |
| Denver → Moab, 6 nights | 1,450 mi | $180 | $690 | $480 | $60 | $1,410 |
Lodging is 40–50% of the total in all three. That is where a cheaper decision moves the number, not at the pump. Shifting two of seven nights from hotels to cabins or campsites usually saves more than driving 300 km less.
The costs people forget
- Tolls. France, Italy and Spain can add €60–120 to a week. Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia need a vignette bought before the border.
- City parking. €18–30 per night in old-town hotels that advertise "parking nearby".
- One-way car rental fees. Often €150–400 on cross-border returns.
- The unplanned day. Weather, a closed pass, a late start. Budget one extra night's allowance and you will not have to cut anything.
- Fuel price gradient. Motorway service stations run 10–20% above town prices. Filling before you join the motorway is a real saving over a week.
How many kilometres per day should you budget?
Cost and comfort collide here. Around 250–350 km per day leaves time to actually stop; past 500 km, the day is the drive. Longer days save a night of lodging but cost you fuel, fatigue, and the reason you drove instead of flying.
Run the numbers on your actual route
Static calculators fall apart the moment the plan changes — and it always changes. Tripvora computes the distance, drive time and fuel cost for each day as you build the route, so the budget updates when you drag a stop to a different day.
- Open the road trip planner and set your start, end and dates.
- Add your stops. The planner orders them geographically so you are not paying for backtracking.
- Check the per-day distance and cost readout under each day.
- Move anything that pushes a day past your comfortable driving budget.
Because the cost figure is attached to the itinerary rather than a separate spreadsheet, it stays true after the fourth revision. If you are still assembling the route itself, start with how to plan a multi-stop road trip, or the complete step-by-step guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a 7-day road trip cost?
For two people, plan €900–1,600 in Europe or $1,100–1,900 in the US, assuming mid-range accommodation and around 1,800 km of driving. Camping most nights brings it under €700.
Is a road trip cheaper than flying?
For two or more people travelling under roughly 1,500 km, driving is usually cheaper once you add airport transfers, baggage and a rental car at the other end. Solo, over long distances, flying often wins.
How do I estimate gas cost for a trip in the US?
Divide total miles by your car's mpg, then multiply by the current price per gallon. Add 10% if you will be driving mostly at highway speeds or carrying a loaded roof rack.
What percentage of a road trip budget is fuel?
Typically 15–20%. Accommodation is 40–50%, food and activities 25–35%. Optimising the route saves real money, but the lodging mix moves the total far more.
How much should I budget per day?
A working figure is €35–70 per person per day for food, entries and parking, plus €70–120 per night for a room for two. Multiply by your nights, add the fuel formula above, then add 10% for the things you have not thought of.
Build the estimate into the plan
A budget you keep in a separate file goes stale the first time you change a stop. Build the route in Tripvora and the distances, drive times and fuel costs come with it — free on your first trip, with unlimited trips on Pro.
