★ COMPARISONS · COMMUTE · TRANSIT
Subway wins by $150.00. A 40-trip month costs $580.00 by bus at 30 minutes a trip, and $430.00 by subway at 20 minutes a trip, at $24 an hour. Enter your commute to find which is cheaper — and the time value, minutes and fares that flip the answer.
A bus costs its fare or its monthly pass, whichever is cheaper, plus the time it takes at what your time is worth; a subway costs the same. This calculator prices both sides on your commute, and shows which one costs less — and the break-even time value, minutes and fares. Comparison #207 in the comparisons library.
The two ways of getting to work are priced on the same month: the same number of trips, the same travelling. The money side is the cheaper of pay-per-ride and the monthly pass — a pass that costs more than the rides is never chosen. The time side is the trips times the minutes a trip divided by 60, times what one hour of your time is worth. The total is the money plus the time cost, and the winner is whichever total is lower. The time value is your own call: $0 means money only. This calculator compares money and time: it leaves out walking to the stop, transfers, delays and crowding.
At the defaults — 40 trips a month, bus fare $2.75, subway fare $2.75, bus pass $100.00, subway pass $127.00, bus 30 minutes a trip, subway 20 minutes a trip, time value $24 an hour — the bus money is the cheaper of 40 × $2.75 = $110.00 and the $100.00 pass, which is $100.00. The subway money is the cheaper of 40 × $2.75 = $110.00 and the $127.00 pass, which is $110.00. The bus time is 40 × 30 ÷ 60 × $24 = $480.00. The subway time is 40 × 20 ÷ 60 × $24 = $320.00. The bus total is $100.00 + $480.00 = $580.00. The subway total is $110.00 + $320.00 = $430.00. The subway wins by $150.00.
| Case | Bus total | Subway total | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default (40 trips, $24/hour) | $580.00 | $430.00 | Subway by $150.00 |
| Time value $0 | $100.00 | $110.00 | Bus by $10.00 |
| 20 trips/month | $295.00 | $215.00 | Subway by $80.00 |
| 60 trips/month | $820.00 | $607.00 | Subway by $213.00 |
| Bus fare $1.50 | $540.00 | $430.00 | Subway by $110.00 |
| Subway fare $2.00 | $580.00 | $400.00 | Subway by $180.00 |
| Bus 20 min/trip | $420.00 | $430.00 | Bus by $10.00 |
| Subway 45 min/trip | $580.00 | $830.00 | Bus by $250.00 |
| Time value $50/hour | $1,100.00 | $776.67 | Subway by $323.33 |
| Bus pass $130 | $590.00 | $430.00 | Subway by $160.00 |
| Subway pass $90 | $580.00 | $410.00 | Subway by $170.00 |
Setup: 40 trips a month, bus fare $2.75, subway fare $2.75, bus pass $100.00, subway pass $127.00, bus 30 minutes a trip, subway 20 minutes a trip, time value $24 an hour.
Line 1 — the bus money. The cheaper of 40 × $2.75 = $110.00 and the $100.00 pass = $100.00.
Line 2 — the subway money. The cheaper of 40 × $2.75 = $110.00 and the $127.00 pass = $110.00.
Line 3 — the bus time cost. 40 × 30 ÷ 60 × $24 = $480.00.
Line 4 — the subway time cost. 40 × 20 ÷ 60 × $24 = $320.00.
Line 5 — the totals. Bus $100.00 + $480.00 = $580.00. Subway $110.00 + $320.00 = $430.00.
Line 6 — the winner. $580.00 − $430.00 = $150.00, so the subway wins by $150.00.
Reverse: the break-even time value is $1.50 an hour (exact 1.5000 — below $1.50 an hour the bus wins on money alone, and at $1.50 an hour the totals tie at $130.00); the break-even bus time is 20.63 minutes a trip (exact 20.625 — at 20.625 minutes the bus total is exactly $430.00); the break-even subway time is 29.38 minutes a trip (exact 29.375 — at 29.375 minutes the subway total is exactly $580.00); even a free bus fare still loses by $50.00, because the bus money is $0.00 but the bus time is still $480.00; and there is no break-even trip count — the subway wins at every trip count.
Time value $0: the bus is $100.00 against a $110.00 subway — the bus wins by $10.00. This is the flip: with no value on time, the cheaper money wins, and the cheaper money is the bus pass.
20 trips/month: the bus money is 20 × $2.75 = $55.00 and the bus time is $240.00, so the bus total is $295.00. The subway money is $55.00 and the subway time is $160.00, so the subway total is $215.00. The subway wins by $80.00. Fewer trips shrink the gap, but they do not close it.
60 trips/month: the bus money is the $100.00 pass and the bus time is $720.00, so the bus total is $820.00. The subway money is the $127.00 pass and the subway time is $480.00, so the subway total is $607.00. The subway wins by $213.00. More trips just scale the same $4.00-a-trip gap.
Bus fare $1.50: the bus money is 40 × $1.50 = $60.00 and the bus total is $540.00 against $430.00 — the subway wins by $110.00. A cheap bus fare is worth $40.00 a month, and the subway’s time saving is worth $160.00.
Subway fare $2.00: the subway money is 40 × $2.00 = $80.00 and the subway total is $400.00 against $580.00 — the subway wins by $180.00. A cheap subway fare and a fast subway trip are the same win twice over.
Bus 20 min/trip: the bus time falls to $320.00 and the bus total is $420.00 against $430.00 — the bus wins by $10.00. This is the flip: when the bus is nearly as fast as the subway, the cheaper money decides it, and the cheaper money is the bus.
Subway 45 min/trip: the subway time rises to $720.00 and the subway total is $830.00 against $580.00 — the bus wins by $250.00. This is the flip: a slow subway is the worst of both, dearer on money and dearer on time.
Time value $50/hour: the bus time is $1,000.00 and the bus total is $1,100.00. The subway time is $666.67 and the subway total is $776.67. The subway wins by $323.33. The dearer your time, the more the fast subway is worth.
Bus pass $130: the bus money is the cheaper of $110.00 of pay-per-ride and the $130.00 pass, which is $110.00, and the bus total is $590.00 against $430.00 — the subway wins by $160.00. A dear pass is never bought: pay-per-ride beats it.
Subway pass $90: the subway money is the cheaper of $110.00 of pay-per-ride and the $90.00 pass, which is $90.00, and the subway total is $410.00 against $580.00 — the subway wins by $170.00. A cheap pass is the one bargain that is always worth taking.
Reverse — the lines that matter: the break-even time value is $1.50 an hour; the break-even bus time is 20.63 minutes a trip; the break-even subway time is 29.38 minutes a trip; even a free bus fare still loses by $50.00; and there is no break-even trip count.
The flip: at the defaults the subway wins by $150.00. The bus wins when your time is worth under $1.50 an hour, when the bus is nearly as fast as the subway (20 minutes a trip), or when the subway runs slow (45 minutes a trip).
The model assumes the trips, fares, passes, minutes and time value you enter, and the same pattern every trip of the month. It assumes a monthly pass is a flat price for the month and that pay-per-ride is the fare times the trips, and it takes the cheaper of the two — check the pass price, because a pass that costs more than the rides is never bought. It assumes your time is worth the same on every trip, and it leaves out walking to the stop, transfers, delays and crowding. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, the break-even time value and minutes to two decimals with the exact value to four, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bus money | the cheaper of trips × bus fare and the bus monthly pass | $100.00. |
| Bus time cost | trips × bus minutes ÷ 60 × time value | $480.00. |
| Bus total | bus money + bus time cost | $580.00. |
| Subway money | the cheaper of trips × subway fare and the subway monthly pass | $110.00. |
| Subway time cost | trips × subway minutes ÷ 60 × time value | $320.00. |
| Subway total | subway money + subway time cost | $430.00. |
| Winner | lower total | Subway wins by $150.00. |
| Difference | the two totals apart | $150.00. |
| Break-even time value | (subway money − bus money) ÷ (trips × (bus min − subway min) ÷ 60) | 1.50 an hour (exact 1.5000). |
| Break-even bus minutes | (subway total − bus money) ÷ (trips × time value ÷ 60) | 20.63 min (exact 20.6250). |
| Break-even subway minutes | (bus total − subway money) ÷ (trips × time value ÷ 60) | 29.38 min (exact 29.3750). |
| Free bus total | bus money $0.00 + bus time cost at $24 an hour | $480.00, still losing by $50.00. |
| Time value $0 | same model, $0 an hour | Bus money $100.00, time $0.00, total $100.00 vs subway money $110.00, time $0.00, total $110.00, Bus wins by $10.00 ($10.00). |
| 20 trips/month | same model, 20 trips | Bus money $55.00, time $240.00, total $295.00 vs subway money $55.00, time $160.00, total $215.00, Subway wins by $80.00 ($80.00). |
| 60 trips/month | same model, 60 trips | Bus money $100.00, time $720.00, total $820.00 vs subway money $127.00, time $480.00, total $607.00, Subway wins by $213.00 ($213.00). |
| Bus fare $1.50 | same model, $1.50 bus fare | Bus money $60.00, time $480.00, total $540.00 vs subway money $110.00, time $320.00, total $430.00, Subway wins by $110.00 ($110.00). |
| Subway fare $2.00 | same model, $2.00 subway fare | Bus money $100.00, time $480.00, total $580.00 vs subway money $80.00, time $320.00, total $400.00, Subway wins by $180.00 ($180.00). |
| Bus 20 min/trip | same model, 20 bus minutes | Bus money $100.00, time $320.00, total $420.00 vs subway money $110.00, time $320.00, total $430.00, Bus wins by $10.00 ($10.00). |
| Subway 45 min/trip | same model, 45 subway minutes | Bus money $100.00, time $480.00, total $580.00 vs subway money $110.00, time $720.00, total $830.00, Bus wins by $250.00 ($250.00). |
| Time value $50/hour | same model, $50 an hour | Bus money $100.00, time $1,000.00, total $1,100.00 vs subway money $110.00, time $666.67, total $776.67, Subway wins by $323.33 ($323.33). |
| Bus pass $130 | same model, $130 bus pass | Bus money $110.00, time $480.00, total $590.00 vs subway money $110.00, time $320.00, total $430.00, Subway wins by $160.00 ($160.00). |
| Subway pass $90 | same model, $90 subway pass | Bus money $100.00, time $480.00, total $580.00 vs subway money $90.00, time $320.00, total $410.00, Subway wins by $170.00 ($170.00). |
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the money is the cheaper of pay-per-ride and the monthly pass, the time cost is the trips times the minutes a trip times your time value, and the winner is the lower total. What the model cannot do is know your real commute: check the minutes, because a bus that runs on time is worth more than a bus that runs late, and a subway that needs a transfer is worth less than a direct one. It assumes the same pattern every trip and leaves out walking to the stop, transfers, delays and crowding. For the same question about trains and planes, see train vs plane calculator; for the same question about a rental car and rideshare, see rent a car vs rideshare calculator.
Bright Side Kit. "Bus vs Subway Calculator: Monthly Commute Cost 2026." https://brightoolbox.com/bus-vs-subway/ Accessed October 25, 2026.When your time is cheap, or when the bus is nearly as fast. At a $0 time value the bus wins by $10.00, because it is $100.00 of money against $110.00 — the money-only answer is the bus. At 20 minutes a bus trip the bus wins by $10.00, because the bus time falls to $320.00 and the bus total is $420.00 against $430.00. At a 45-minute subway trip the bus wins by $250.00, because the subway time rises to $720.00. At the defaults the subway wins by $150.00, so any of those changes is enough to flip it.
No — only when it costs less than pay-per-ride. At the defaults the bus pass is $100.00 against $110.00 of pay-per-ride, so the pass wins and the bus money is $100.00. The subway pass is $127.00 against $110.00 of pay-per-ride, so the pass loses and the subway money is $110.00. A $130 bus pass loses too: the bus money becomes $110.00 of pay-per-ride and the bus total is $590.00. A $90 subway pass wins: the subway money falls to $90.00 and the subway total is $410.00. Buy the pass only when it beats what the rides would cost.
Under $1.50 an hour. The bus is $10.00 cheaper on money ($100.00 against $110.00) and 10 minutes slower a trip, so each hour of time value costs the bus $6.67 against the subway. At $1.50 an hour the two totals tie at $130.00, and below $1.50 the bus wins: at $0 an hour the bus wins by $10.00. At $24 an hour the subway wins by $150.00, and at $50 an hour it wins by $323.33.
No — even a free bus fare still loses by $50.00. With the bus fare at $0 the bus money is $0.00, but the bus time is still $480.00 at $24 an hour, so the bus total is $480.00 against the subway total of $430.00. The bus is 10 minutes slower on every one of 40 trips, and that time is worth $160.00 a month at $24 an hour. A free fare is worth $100.00 of money and still leaves the bus $50.00 behind.
No — at these fares and times the subway wins at every trip count. At 20 trips a month the subway wins by $80.00, at 40 trips it wins by $150.00 and at 60 trips it wins by $213.00. More trips just scale the same gap: the bus is $10.00 cheaper on money and $4.00 dearer on time per trip, so every extra trip adds $4.00 to the subway’s lead. Change the fares or the times, and the answer can change; change the trip count alone, and it cannot.
Walking to the stop, transfers, delays and crowding. The bus side does not charge you for the walk to the bus stop or the wait in the rain, and the subway side does not charge you for the walk down to the platform or the transfer. Neither side charges you for delays or for standing room only at rush hour. Those are real costs in time, not money, so they are not in the $580.00 and $430.00 — but if the bus stop is at your door and the subway is a 15-minute walk, the bus is worth more than the $150.00 the subway saves.