How much does a DART pass cost?

A DART monthly pass costs about $96, covering unlimited rides on Dallas Area Rapid Transit buses and light rail. The calculator uses this figure as the transit baseline to compare against driving.

What is the difference between cash cost and full cost?

Cash cost counts only what leaves your wallet now — fuel plus parking. Full cost adds the IRS standard mileage rate of about $0.67/mile, which also captures depreciation, maintenance, insurance, and tires, giving a truer picture of driving's expense.

Why include the IRS mileage rate?

Fuel alone understates driving's cost because cars wear out and need service and insurance. The IRS rate (~$0.67/mi) is a widely accepted all-in estimate, so the full-cost line shows the realistic long-term comparison against transit.

What gas price should I use?

Use your local pump price. Dallas gas typically runs near $3.05 per gallon, but it fluctuates, so update the field with the current price for an accurate fuel cost.

Is parking really that expensive?

Downtown Dallas monthly parking commonly runs around $110, though it is cheaper or free in many suburban office parks. Adjust the parking field to match your situation, since it heavily influences the comparison.

Dallas Commute Cost Calculator

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Compare commuting costs in Dallas

Driving feels cheap because you only notice the gas, but parking and vehicle wear add up fast. This calculator compares the cost of driving your commute in Dallas against a DART monthly pass (~$96), showing both the cash cost (fuel plus parking) and the full economic cost using the IRS standard mileage rate.

How it works

Driving cost is built from your mileage and inputs, then compared to transit:

monthly miles = round-trip miles * commute days
fuel cost     = (monthly miles / mpg) * gas price
driving cash  = fuel cost + monthly parking
driving full  = monthly miles * 0.67 + monthly parking
transit       = DART pass (~$96)

The cash line answers “what do I spend right now,” while the full line at $0.67/mile reflects depreciation, maintenance, and insurance — the true cost of keeping a car on the road for the commute.

Example and notes

A 26-mile round trip, 22 days a month, at 26 mpg and $3.05 gas burns about $67 in fuel; add $110 parking and cash driving is $177/month versus $96 for DART, a $81 monthly saving by riding transit. On a full-cost basis the gap is far wider — about $383/month to drive — because the IRS rate counts the long-term wear a fuel-only estimate ignores. Update the gas, parking, and mileage fields to match your own commute.