How much is a UTA monthly pass?

A standard UTA monthly transit pass in Salt Lake City costs about $99, covering bus, TRAX light rail, and FrontRunner within fare zones. Some employers and the University of Utah subsidize or fully cover this pass.

What does the IRS mileage rate capture?

The IRS standard mileage rate, about 67 cents per mile, bundles fuel, maintenance, tires, insurance, and depreciation into one figure. The calculator uses it to show the true cost of driving beyond just gas, since wear and depreciation are real money.

Should I use gas-only or full per-mile cost?

The tool shows both. Gas-only undercounts because it ignores depreciation, repairs, and insurance. The IRS per-mile figure is the honest all-in cost of putting miles on a car, which is what you should compare against a transit pass.

How is parking factored in?

Monthly parking is added directly to the driving total. Downtown Salt Lake City garages average around $100 per month, while street and lot rates vary. Free workplace parking lowers the driving cost substantially.

Does this account for car payments?

Only indirectly. The IRS per-mile rate includes depreciation but not your specific loan interest. If you would own the car regardless of the commute, the marginal cost is closer to gas plus a share of maintenance; the tool shows that gas-only figure too.

Salt Lake City Commute Cost Calculator

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Whether to drive or ride UTA in Salt Lake City often comes down to numbers most people never run. This calculator pits the roughly $99 monthly UTA pass against the true cost of driving — not just gas, but parking and the per-mile wear the IRS rate captures.

How it works

Driving cost is built from three parts, then compared to transit:

monthly miles  = one-way miles × 2 × commute days
gas cost       = monthly miles / mpg × gas price
full drive cost= monthly miles × IRS rate + parking
transit cost   = UTA monthly pass (~$99)
savings        = full drive cost − transit cost

The IRS standard rate of about $0.67 per mile already includes fuel, maintenance, and depreciation, so it is the fairest all-in comparison. The tool also shows a gas-only figure for those who would keep the car regardless.

Example and tips

A 12-mile one-way commute, 20 days a month, is 480 monthly miles. At 28 MPG and $3.50 gas that is about $60 in fuel, but at the full IRS rate plus $100 parking the real cost is roughly $422 — far above the $99 UTA pass. If your employer or the U of U covers your transit pass, the comparison tilts even harder toward riding. Free workplace parking is the single biggest factor that swings the math back toward driving.