ThrottleJournalDaily Commute Cost in India: What 20, 40 and 60 km a Day Really Costs
By Chong Sem · Updated 9 November 2026Short answer: in Delhi, the daily commute cost for a petrol hatchback that really does 15 km/l is about ₹136 for a 20 km round trip, ₹272 for 40 km and ₹408 for 60 km. Over 22 working days, that's roughly ₹3,000, ₹6,000 and ₹9,000 a month in fuel alone. The same 60 km commute costs about ₹5,200 a month in a CNG hatchback.
Your commute is usually the biggest, most predictable part of your fuel bill, which makes it the easiest part to plan. This guide prices the three most common daily distances for five typical cars, shows the maths step by step, and covers what changes the number: traffic, car type, carpooling and switching fuel. For the full monthly picture, including weekend driving, use our pillar guide on how to calculate and cut your monthly fuel cost.
How do you calculate your daily commute cost?
You need three numbers: your round-trip distance, your car's real mileage and today's fuel price.
Daily cost = (round-trip km ÷ real mileage) × fuel price
Monthly cost = daily cost × working days
Two things trip people up. First, use the round-trip distance. A 20 km commute each way is 40 km a day. Second, use your car's real mileage, not the brochure figure. In city traffic, the real figure is commonly 20% to 30% lower. Our guide to measuring real mileage with the tank-to-tank method shows how to get yours in three fill-ups.
Throughout this guide we use Delhi prices on 9 November 2026: petrol ₹102.12 a litre, diesel ₹95.20 a litre and CNG ₹86.98 a kg. We assume 22 working days a month.
Prices: Times of India, CNG price in New Delhi (₹86.98 a kg, 9 November 2026); petrol and diesel from the Times of India Delhi fuel price page (₹102.12 and ₹95.20 a litre).
How much does a 20, 40 or 60 km daily commute cost?
Here's the monthly fuel cost for five common car types. The mileage figures are realistic city numbers we've assumed for each type, not brochure claims. Swap in your own figure if you know it.
| Car type (assumed real mileage) | Cost per km | 20 km a day | 40 km a day | 60 km a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol hatchback (15 km/l) | ₹6.81 | ₹2,996 | ₹5,991 | ₹8,987 |
| Petrol compact SUV (12 km/l) | ₹8.51 | ₹3,744 | ₹7,489 | ₹11,233 |
| Diesel compact SUV (16 km/l) | ₹5.95 | ₹2,618 | ₹5,236 | ₹7,854 |
| CNG hatchback (22 km/kg) | ₹3.95 | ₹1,740 | ₹3,479 | ₹5,219 |
| EV, home charging (7 km/unit at ₹8/unit) | ₹1.14 | ₹503 | ₹1,006 | ₹1,509 |
Two patterns stand out. Cost rises in a straight line with distance, so a 60 km commute costs exactly three times a 20 km one. And the gap between cars grows with distance: at 20 km a day, the petrol SUV costs ₹2,004 a month more than the CNG hatchback; at 60 km, the gap is ₹6,014.
Worked example: what does a 40 km petrol commute cost?
Priya drives 20 km each way to work in a petrol hatchback. Her tank-to-tank figure is 15 km/l.
Step 1: daily distance. 20 km × 2 = 40 km.
Step 2: fuel per day. 40 ÷ 15 = 2.67 litres.
Step 3: cost per day. 2.67 × ₹102.12 = ₹272.
Step 4: cost per month. ₹272.32 × 22 = ₹5,991.
Step 5: cost per year. ₹5,991 × 12 = ₹71,892, for the commute alone.
That ₹72,000 a year is worth putting next to the alternatives. It's money you'd weigh against a CNG car's higher price, a hybrid work week or a carpool, all covered below.
How much does traffic add to your commute cost?
The same 40 km costs more at 9 am than at 7 am. Stop-go traffic and a running AC both cut mileage. As an illustration, say peak-hour traffic drops Priya's car from 15 km/l to 12.75 km/l, a 15% fall (an assumption for a congested route):
- Off-peak at 15 km/l: ₹5,991 a month
- Peak at 12.75 km/l: 40 ÷ 12.75 × ₹102.12 × 22 = ₹7,048 a month
- Extra cost of peak traffic: ₹1,057 a month, about ₹12,700 a year
If your office allows flexible hours, leaving 45 minutes earlier can save real money as well as time. Our guide to claimed vs real-world mileage explains why traffic is the biggest single reason city figures fall short of the brochure.
Is a CNG car or an EV worth it for a long commute?
The longer your commute, the faster a cheaper fuel pays back. Compare the petrol hatchback with a CNG hatchback on a 60 km daily commute:
- Petrol: ₹8,987 a month
- CNG: ₹5,219 a month
- Saving: ₹3,768 a month, or about ₹45,200 a year
On a 20 km commute, the same switch saves only about ₹1,256 a month, so a CNG variant's extra price takes three times as long to recover. The EV row in our table is lower still, but its per-km figure depends heavily on your electricity tariff and how efficient the car is, and the purchase price gap is much bigger. Before switching, run your own numbers through our EV vs petrol vs diesel cost calculator.
CNG prices have also moved faster than petrol this year. IGL raised Delhi CNG by ₹3.89 a kg on 29 August 2026, to ₹86.98. If CNG rose by another ₹10 a kg, the 60 km CNG commute would cost about ₹600 more a month. That's still well below petrol.
Source: Goodreturns, CNG price in NCR (₹3.89 rise in August 2026; ₹86.98 a kg through November).
How much does a hybrid work week save on commute cost?
If you go to the office only some days, scale the working days, not the distance. Monthly working days at roughly 4.3 weeks a month:
| Office days a week | Commute days a month | Monthly commute cost | Saving vs five days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 22 | ₹5,991 | — |
| 3 | 13 | ₹3,540 | ₹2,451 |
| 2 | 9 | ₹2,451 | ₹3,540 |
Going from five office days to three cuts Priya's commute bill by about 41%. It also changes the maths on a CNG or electric car: with fewer commute days, the fuel saving is smaller and the extra purchase price takes longer to recover.
How much does carpooling save on a daily commute?
Splitting fuel is the simplest saving there is. If Priya shares her 40 km petrol commute with one colleague and they split fuel equally, her share falls from ₹5,991 to ₹2,996 a month. With three people sharing, it drops to about ₹1,997. The car's wear and tear doesn't fall, though, so take turns driving if you can, rather than just splitting fuel.
What else should you add to your commute cost?
Fuel is only one part of what your commute costs. A complete number also includes:
- Parking: office or street parking charged daily or monthly.
- Tolls: any FASTag charges on your route, especially on expressway commutes.
- Wear and tear: every kilometre brings the next service, tyre change and brake job closer.
- Depreciation: high yearly kilometres lower your car's resale value faster.
Our total cost of ownership calculator adds these up. For a quick fuel-only figure for any distance, use the fuel cost calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my daily commute cost?
Divide your round-trip distance by your car's real mileage, then multiply by the fuel price. For 40 km at 15 km/l and ₹102.12 a litre: 40 ÷ 15 × 102.12 = ₹272 a day.
How much does a 60 km daily commute cost a month?
In Delhi, about ₹8,987 in a petrol hatchback doing 15 km/l, ₹7,854 in a diesel SUV doing 16 km/l and ₹5,219 in a CNG hatchback doing 22 km/kg, over 22 working days.
Should I use the claimed mileage to work out commute cost?
No. Use your measured figure. The claimed figure comes from a lab test and usually overstates city mileage, so your budget would come out too low.
Is CNG worth it for a 20 km daily commute?
It saves money every month, but slowly. At 20 km a day the saving over petrol is about ₹1,256 a month in our example, so recovering a CNG variant's extra price takes much longer than on a 60 km commute.
How many working days should I use?
Count your own. We use 22, which suits a five-day week. Use about 26 for a six-day week, and add weekend driving separately.
Last updated: 9 November 2026. Fuel prices are New Delhi retail prices on 9 November 2026 and change often. Real mileage for each car type, the ₹8 per unit electricity tariff, 22 working days, the 15% peak-traffic loss and the ₹10 CNG rise are ThrottleJournal assumptions for illustration. All costs are calculated by ThrottleJournal and rounded. This article is for information only.