★ COMPARISONS · COMMUTE · WALK VS BIKE
Biking saves 5.00 hours a week — and walking burns 1,100 kcal more. A 2-mile commute takes 40.00 minutes on foot and 10.00 minutes by bike, 5 days a week. The bike wins on time, the walk wins on calories and money — enter your route to find which wins for you.
Walking takes the distance divided by the walking speed, biking takes it divided by the cycling speed, and the week counts the round trip on each commute day. This calculator compares the time, the calories and the yearly cost of walking and cycling your route — and shows which wins on each measure. Comparison #211 in the comparisons library.
Walking and biking are the same trip at two speeds. The one-way time is the distance divided by the speed: walking takes the distance divided by the walking speed, and biking takes the distance divided by the cycling speed. The weekly time counts the round trip on each commute day: twice the distance, times the days, divided by the speed. The weekly calories are the same distance, times the days, times the calories per mile. The annual figures are the weekly ones times 52 weeks. The bike also costs money: the purchase price divided by the years it lasts, plus the maintenance each year. Walking costs nothing. Speeds and calorie rates are averages the user can edit — a fit cyclist is faster than 12 mph, a loaded or hilly ride slower; calorie burn varies with weight, hills, and effort; the bike cost is ownership only (no transit fares, parking, or shower costs in the model); walking needs no equipment beyond shoes, which the model prices at $0.
At the defaults — a 2-mile one-way trip, 5 days a week, walking at 3 mph, cycling at 12 mph, 100 kcal a mile walking and 45 kcal a mile cycling, a $500 bike lasting 5 years with $50 a year of maintenance — the one-way times are 2 ÷ 3 × 60 = 40.00 min walking and 2 ÷ 12 × 60 = 10.00 min biking. The round trip is 80.00 min walking and 20.00 min biking. The week is 6.67 h walking and 1.67 h biking, so biking saves 5.00 h a week; the calories are 2,000 kcal walking and 900 kcal biking, so walking burns 1,100 kcal more a week. The year is 346.67 h walking and 86.67 h biking, so biking saves 260.00 h a year; the calories are 104,000 kcal walking and 46,800 kcal biking. The bike costs $500 ÷ 5 + $50 = $150.00 a year, and walking costs $0.00.
| Case | Walk one-way | Bike one-way | Walk weekly | Bike weekly | Biking saves | Kcal walk | Kcal bike |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (2 mi, 5 days) | 40.00 min | 10.00 min | 6.67 h | 1.67 h | 5.00 h | 2,000 | 900 |
| 1 mile | 20.00 min | 5.00 min | 3.33 h | 0.83 h | 2.50 h | 1,000 | 450 |
| 5 miles | 100.00 min | 25.00 min | 16.67 h | 4.17 h | 12.50 h | 5,000 | 2,250 |
| Half a mile | 10.00 min | 2.50 min | 1.67 h | 0.42 h | 1.25 h | 500 | 225 |
| 3 days a week | 40.00 min | 10.00 min | 4.00 h | 1.00 h | 3.00 h | 1,200 | 540 |
| Bike speed 15 mph | 40.00 min | 8.00 min | 6.67 h | 1.33 h | 5.33 h | 2,000 | 900 |
| Walking speed 4 mph | 30.00 min | 10.00 min | 5.00 h | 1.67 h | 3.33 h | 2,000 | 900 |
| Walk 2.5 mph, bike 10 mph | 48.00 min | 12.00 min | 8.00 h | 2.00 h | 6.00 h | 2,000 | 900 |
| Bike price $1,000 | 40.00 min | 10.00 min | 6.67 h | 1.67 h | 5.00 h | 2,000 | 900 |
Setup: one-way distance 2 mi, 5 days a week, walking speed 3 mph, cycling speed 12 mph, walking calories 100 kcal/mi, cycling calories 45 kcal/mi, bike price $500, bike life 5 yr, maintenance $50/yr.
Line 1 — the one-way times. Walk: 2 ÷ 3 × 60 = 40.00 min. Bike: 2 ÷ 12 × 60 = 10.00 min.
Line 2 — the round trip. Walk: 2 × 40.00 = 80.00 min. Bike: 2 × 10.00 = 20.00 min.
Line 3 — the week. Walk: 2 × 2 × 5 ÷ 3 = 6.67 h and 2 × 2 × 5 × 100 = 2,000 kcal. Bike: 2 × 2 × 5 ÷ 12 = 1.67 h and 2 × 2 × 5 × 45 = 900 kcal. Biking saves 5.00 h a week, and walking burns 1,100 kcal more.
Line 4 — the year. Walk: 6.67 × 52 = 346.67 h and 2,000 × 52 = 104,000 kcal. Bike: 1.67 × 52 = 86.67 h and 900 × 52 = 46,800 kcal. Biking saves 260.00 h a year.
Line 5 — the cost. Bike: $500 ÷ 5 + $50 = $150.00 a year. Walk: $0.00.
Line 6 — the winners. Bike wins on time, walk wins on calories, walk wins on money. There is no single overall winner — the choice depends on what the commuter values.
Reverse: the distance where biking saves exactly 1.00 h a week is 0.40 mi (exact 0.4000 — 2 × 0.40 × 5 × (1/3 − 1/12) = 1.00 h); the distance where walking burns exactly 2,000 kcal a week is 2.00 mi (exact 2.0000); the distance where walking burns 5,000 kcal a week is 5.00 mi (exact 5.0000); the bike speed for a 5-minute one-way trip at 2 mi is 24.00 mph (exact 24.0000); the walking speed for a 30-minute one-way trip at 2 mi is 4.00 mph (exact 4.0000); the days a week where biking saves 10.00 h at 2 mi is 10.00 days (exact 10.0000) — impossible in a 7-day week, since even biking every day of the week saves at most 7.00 h; and there is no break-even speed, because any bike faster than walking always wins on time.
1 mile: the one-way times are 20.00 min walking and 5.00 min biking; the week is 3.33 h walking and 0.83 h biking, so biking saves 2.50 h; the calories are 1,000 kcal walking and 450 kcal biking. A short trip is a short walk, and the bike barely matters.
5 miles: the one-way times are 100.00 min walking and 25.00 min biking; the week is 16.67 h walking and 4.17 h biking, so biking saves 12.50 h; the calories are 5,000 kcal walking and 2,250 kcal biking. A 5-mile walk is nearly two hours each way, and the bike is the only sane choice.
Half a mile: the one-way times are 10.00 min walking and 2.50 min biking; the week is 1.67 h walking and 0.42 h biking, so biking saves 1.25 h; the calories are 500 kcal walking and 225 kcal biking. Half a mile is a ten-minute walk, and the bike saves seven and a half minutes a trip.
3 days a week: the one-way times are unchanged at 40.00 min walking and 10.00 min biking; the week is 4.00 h walking and 1.00 h biking, so biking saves 3.00 h; the calories are 1,200 kcal walking and 540 kcal biking. Fewer days means fewer hours on the road, and the saving shrinks with them.
Bike speed 15 mph: the one-way bike time falls to 8.00 min; the week is 6.67 h walking and 1.33 h biking, so biking saves 5.33 h. A faster bike saves twenty minutes more a week than a 12 mph one.
Walking speed 4 mph: the one-way walk time falls to 30.00 min; the week is 5.00 h walking and 1.67 h biking, so biking saves 3.33 h. A fast walker closes the gap, but the bike still wins by more than three hours a week.
Walk 2.5 mph, bike 10 mph: the one-way times are 48.00 min walking and 12.00 min biking; the week is 8.00 h walking and 2.00 h biking, so biking saves 6.00 h. A slow walk and a slow ride still leave the bike four times faster.
Bike price $1,000: the bike costs $1,000 ÷ 5 + $50 = $250.00 a year; the times are unchanged, and biking still saves 5.00 h a week. A dearer bike costs more a year and saves the same time.
Reverse — the other way round: the distance where biking saves exactly 1.00 h a week is 0.40 mi; the distance where walking burns exactly 2,000 kcal a week is 2.00 mi; the distance where walking burns 5,000 kcal a week is 5.00 mi; the bike speed for a 5-minute one-way trip at 2 mi is 24.00 mph; the walking speed for a 30-minute one-way trip at 2 mi is 4.00 mph; the days a week where biking saves 10.00 h at 2 mi is 10.00 days — impossible in a 7-day week, since even biking every day saves at most 7.00 h; and there is no break-even speed, because any bike faster than walking always wins on time.
The model assumes the distance, days, speeds and calorie rates you enter, and the same pattern every day of the week. It assumes the speeds are averages — check them, because a fit cyclist is faster than 12 mph and a loaded or hilly ride is slower, and the time saved moves with the speeds. It assumes the calorie rates are averages too: calorie burn varies with weight, hills and effort. It assumes the bike cost is ownership only — the purchase price spread over its life plus maintenance — and leaves out transit fares, parking and shower costs entirely. It assumes walking needs no equipment beyond shoes, priced at $0. Rounding convention: times are shown to two decimals, calories are whole numbers, money is rounded to cents, the reverse distances and speeds 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 |
|---|---|---|
| One-way walk time | distance ÷ walking speed × 60 | 40.00 min. |
| One-way bike time | distance ÷ cycling speed × 60 | 10.00 min. |
| Round-trip walk time | 2 × one-way walk time | 80.00 min. |
| Round-trip bike time | 2 × one-way bike time | 20.00 min. |
| Weekly walk time | 2 × distance × days ÷ walking speed | 6.67 h. |
| Weekly bike time | 2 × distance × days ÷ cycling speed | 1.67 h. |
| Weekly time saved biking | weekly walk time − weekly bike time | 5.00 h. |
| Weekly walk calories | 2 × distance × days × walking calories | 2,000 kcal. |
| Weekly bike calories | 2 × distance × days × cycling calories | 900 kcal. |
| Weekly extra calories walking | weekly walk calories − weekly bike calories | 1,100 kcal. |
| Annual walk time | weekly walk time × 52 | 346.67 h. |
| Annual bike time | weekly bike time × 52 | 86.67 h. |
| Annual time saved biking | weekly time saved × 52 | 260.00 h. |
| Annual walk calories | weekly walk calories × 52 | 104,000 kcal. |
| Annual bike calories | weekly bike calories × 52 | 46,800 kcal. |
| Annual bike cost | purchase price ÷ bike life + annual maintenance | $150.00 a year. |
| Annual walk cost | walking needs no equipment beyond shoes | $0.00 a year. |
| Winner on time | faster speed wins on time | Bike wins on time. |
| Winner on calories | more calories per mile wins on calories | Walk wins on calories. |
| Winner on money | lower annual cost wins on money | Walk wins on money. |
| Distance saving exactly 1.00 h/week | 1.00 ÷ (2 × 5 × (1/3 − 1/12)) | 0.40 mi (exact 0.4000). |
| Distance burning exactly 2,000 kcal/week | 2,000 ÷ (2 × 5 × 100) | 2.00 mi (exact 2.0000). |
| Distance burning 5,000 kcal/week | 5,000 ÷ (2 × 5 × 100) | 5.00 mi (exact 5.0000). |
| Bike speed for a 5-minute one-way trip | 2 mi ÷ (5 min ÷ 60) | 24.00 mph (exact 24.0000). |
| Walking speed for a 30-minute one-way trip | 2 mi ÷ (30 min ÷ 60) | 4.00 mph (exact 4.0000). |
| Days/week saving 10.00 h | 10.00 ÷ (2 × 2 × (1/3 − 1/12)) | 10.00 days (exact 10.0000) — impossible in a 7-day week. |
| Most biking can save in a 7-day week | 2 × 2 × 7 × (1/3 − 1/12) | 7.00 h. |
| 1 mile | same model, 1 mi | One-way walk 20.00 min, bike 5.00 min; weekly walk 3.33 h, bike 0.83 h, saves 2.50 h; weekly kcal 1,000 vs 450. |
| 5 miles | same model, 5 mi | One-way walk 100.00 min, bike 25.00 min; weekly walk 16.67 h, bike 4.17 h, saves 12.50 h; weekly kcal 5,000 vs 2,250. |
| Half a mile | same model, 0.5 mi | One-way walk 10.00 min, bike 2.50 min; weekly walk 1.67 h, bike 0.42 h, saves 1.25 h; weekly kcal 500 vs 225. |
| 3 days a week | same model, 3 days | One-way walk 40.00 min, bike 10.00 min; weekly walk 4.00 h, bike 1.00 h, saves 3.00 h; weekly kcal 1,200 vs 540. |
| Bike speed 15 mph | same model, bike 15 mph | One-way walk 40.00 min, bike 8.00 min; weekly walk 6.67 h, bike 1.33 h, saves 5.33 h; weekly kcal 2,000 vs 900. |
| Walking speed 4 mph | same model, walk 4 mph | One-way walk 30.00 min, bike 10.00 min; weekly walk 5.00 h, bike 1.67 h, saves 3.33 h; weekly kcal 2,000 vs 900. |
| Walk 2.5 mph, bike 10 mph | same model, 2.5 / 10 mph | One-way walk 48.00 min, bike 12.00 min; weekly walk 8.00 h, bike 2.00 h, saves 6.00 h; weekly kcal 2,000 vs 900. |
| Bike price $1,000 | same model, $1,000 bike | Bike cost $250.00 a year; one-way walk 40.00 min, bike 10.00 min; weekly walk 6.67 h, bike 1.67 h, saves 5.00 h; weekly kcal 2,000 vs 900. |
The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the one-way time is the distance divided by the speed, the weekly time is the round trip times the days, and the calories are the distance times the days times the calories per mile. What the model cannot do is know your speed: check the walking and cycling speeds, because a fit cyclist is faster than 12 mph and a loaded or hilly ride is slower, and the time saved moves with them. It assumes the same pattern every day and leaves out transit fares, parking and shower costs, and the weather. Calorie burn varies with weight, hills and effort, so the 100 kcal a mile walking and 45 kcal a mile cycling are averages. For the calories of walking any distance, see calories burned walking calculator; for the same question about a car and a bike, see car vs bike calculator.
Bright Side Kit. "Walk vs Bike Calculator: Commute Time & Calories 2026." https://brightoolbox.com/walk-vs-bike-calculator/ Accessed October 25, 2026.40 minutes at 3 mph. Two miles at 3 miles an hour is 2 ÷ 3 = 0.67 hours, which is 40.00 minutes. The bike does the same trip in 10.00 minutes at 12 mph, and the round trip is 80.00 minutes on foot against 20.00 minutes by bike. A faster walker at 4 mph does it in 30.00 minutes, and a slower one at 2.5 mph in 48.00 minutes.
About 200 calories one way at 100 kcal per mile. Two miles at 100 kcal a mile is 200 kcal one way, and 400 kcal for the round trip. Over a 5-day week that is 2,000 kcal walking against 900 kcal cycling, because the bike burns only 45 kcal a mile — walking burns 1,100 kcal more a week on the same route. Calorie burn varies with weight, hills and effort, so treat the 100 kcal a mile as an average you can edit.
Yes, at any realistic cycling speed — the break-even never exists. The bike wins on time whenever it is faster than walking, and any working bike is faster than any walk: at 12 mph against 3 mph the bike takes a quarter of the time, and even at 10 mph against a brisk 2.5 mph walk it takes a quarter of the time. There is no speed where the two tie, because the bike would have to go as slowly as a walk, and then it is not a bike ride at all.
5 hours a week, and 260 hours a year. Walking takes 6.67 hours a week and biking takes 1.67 hours, so biking saves 5.00 hours a week — an hour a day. Over 52 weeks that is 346.67 hours walking against 86.67 hours biking, a saving of 260.00 hours a year. A 1-mile commute saves 2.50 hours a week, and a 5-mile commute saves 12.50 hours a week.
It costs $150.00 a year here against $0.00 walking — it pays in time, not money. A $500 bike that lasts 5 years costs $100.00 a year, plus $50.00 a year of maintenance, which is $150.00 a year. Walking costs nothing: it needs no equipment beyond shoes, which the model prices at $0. A $1,000 bike costs $250.00 a year. The bike is the expensive way to travel and the fast way to travel — it pays for itself in the 260.00 hours a year it saves, not in dollars.
Slow the bike speed down and the model follows. Speeds and calorie rates are averages you can edit: a fit cyclist is faster than 12 mph, and a loaded or hilly ride is slower. At 10 mph against a 2.5 mph walk, the one-way times are 12.00 minutes by bike and 48.00 minutes on foot, and biking still saves 6.00 hours a week. The bike cost is ownership only — no transit fares, parking or shower costs are in the model.