From New York, the gap between your cheapest and priciest road trip is enormous. Starting in Cooperstown, a hop to Connecticut runs about $42 one way — while a cross-country haul to California is roughly $628, about fifteen times as much. Where you fall on that scale depends on how far you’re going and what gas actually costs in each state you pass through.
We built an interactive map that shows every state’s number side by side.
Unlike a typical gas calculator that uses one national average, this map charges each state’s real gas price for the miles you actually drive there. New York’s pricier gas only counts for the New York miles; cheap Tennessee gas only counts once you’re in Tennessee. There’s also an MPG box on the map — punch in your car’s real number and every figure recalculates instantly.
New York to anywhere
Total: ~4,370 miles · ~70 hours · Passport required · Route through 4 Canadian provinces/territories · Estimated gas cost ~$1,050 one way
How We Calculate Gas Cost From New York To Every State
The rules behind every number you’ll see:
- Vehicle: 20 MPG — a fair average for most cars and SUVs (set your own with the MPG box on the map)
- Routes: Real driving routes out of Cooperstown, not straight-line distance
- Destination: The geographic center city of each state
- Gas prices: Each state’s own AAA average — not a national blend
- Data source: AAA Gas Prices, June 2026
- Direction: One way from Cooperstown, New York
So a drive to Tennessee uses Tennessee’s gas price for the Tennessee miles — not New York’s price stretched across the whole trip. That’s what sets this apart from a one-number calculator.
Cheapest And Most Expensive Drives From New York
- Connecticut is the cheapest drive at $42 one way — 196 miles and just over three hours, an easy New England hop.
- California is the most expensive at $628 — a 42-hour, 2,910-mile crossing carrying the priciest gas in the country at $5.76 a gallon. That’s roughly fifteen times the cost of the Connecticut run.
- Louisiana is the best value for the distance: $282 for 1,463 miles, riding cheap southern gas for most of the way.
- New England is your cheap-seats section. Ten states come in under $100 one way, and almost all of them are quick northeastern neighbors — Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Jersey, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland, most under five hours.
- Heading west, everything funnels south first. Because Cooperstown sits where it does, nearly every western drive routes down through Pennsylvania and Ohio before it can turn toward the middle of the country — which is why Ohio, the gateway, already sits at $106.
How Long Does It Take To Drive From New York To Every State?
Cost is one half of the trip; hours in the seat are the other. We mapped the drive time too, and it’s a wide span from here — a 3h10m skip to Connecticut on the near end, all the way out to a 42-hour push to California.
New York to anywhere
Total: ~4,370 miles · ~70 hours · Passport required · Route through 4 Canadian provinces/territories · Estimated gas cost ~$1,050 one way
Gas Cost And Drive Time From New York To Every State
Sorted by cost, lowest to highest. All figures one way from Cooperstown, New York, at 20 MPG.
| State | Gas Cost | Drive Time | Miles | Gas Price There |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $42 | 3h 10m | 196 mi | $4.24 |
| Massachusetts | $44 | 3h 30m | 206 mi | $4.20 |
| Vermont | $47 | 4h 5m | 215 mi | $4.32 |
| New Jersey | $54 | 4h 20m | 254 mi | $4.13 |
| Rhode Island | $54 | 4h 5m | 252 mi | $4.08 |
| New Hampshire | $55 | 4h 45m | 256 mi | $4.17 |
| Pennsylvania | $55 | 4h 5m | 256 mi | $4.23 |
| Delaware | $68 | 5h 10m | 324 mi | $3.82 |
| Maryland | $75 | 5h 45m | 354 mi | $3.85 |
| Maine | $98 | 7h 25m | 465 mi | $4.17 |
| Virginia | $103 | 7h 40m | 497 mi | $3.83 |
| Ohio | $106 | 7h 25m | 495 mi | $4.09 |
| West Virginia | $109 | 8h 40m | 520 mi | $4.04 |
| Michigan | $120 | 8h 40m | 562 mi | $4.20 |
| North Carolina | $136 | 10h 20m | 672 mi | $3.71 |
| Indiana | $152 | 10h 55m | 731 mi | $3.36 |
| South Carolina | $164 | 12h 30m | 822 mi | $3.70 |
| Kentucky | $167 | 12h 5m | 808 mi | $3.65 |
| Illinois | $180 | 13h 15m | 875 mi | $4.40 |
| Tennessee | $196 | 14h 20m | 968 mi | $3.64 |
| Georgia | $200 | 15h 30m | 1,014 mi | $3.77 |
| Wisconsin | $213 | 15h 30m | 1,045 mi | $3.89 |
| Alabama | $214 | 16h 15m | 1,096 mi | $3.70 |
| Iowa | $223 | 16h 25m | 1,097 mi | $3.73 |
| Missouri | $235 | 17h 10m | 1,155 mi | $3.76 |
| Mississippi | $242 | 18h 45m | 1,246 mi | $3.68 |
| Florida | $245 | 18h 20m | 1,253 mi | $3.86 |
| Minnesota | $261 | 19h 15m | 1,294 mi | $3.88 |
| Arkansas | $262 | 19h 30m | 1,323 mi | $3.70 |
| Kansas | $278 | 20h 35m | 1,387 mi | $3.74 |
| Louisiana | $282 | 22h 5m | 1,463 mi | $3.67 |
| Nebraska | $285 | 21h 25m | 1,418 mi | $3.91 |
| Oklahoma | $285 | 21h | 1,428 mi | $3.58 |
| North Dakota | $311 | 22h 35m | 1,555 mi | $3.86 |
| South Dakota | $312 | 22h 25m | 1,552 mi | $3.98 |
| Texas | $356 | 27h | 1,824 mi | $3.54 |
| Wyoming | $369 | 27h | 1,838 mi | $4.23 |
| Colorado | $372 | 27h | 1,851 mi | $4.13 |
| New Mexico | $389 | 29h | 1,992 mi | $3.94 |
| Montana | $409 | 30h | 2,034 mi | $4.25 |
| Utah | $445 | 32h | 2,198 mi | $4.31 |
| Arizona | $481 | 35h | 2,427 mi | $4.44 |
| Idaho | $485 | 35h | 2,370 mi | $4.43 |
| Nevada | $526 | 37h | 2,530 mi | $4.93 |
| Washington | $567 | 40h | 2,700 mi | $5.53 |
| Oregon | $578 | 41h | 2,757 mi | $5.01 |
| California | $628 | 42h | 2,910 mi | $5.76 |
| Alaska ⚠️ | ~$1,050 | ~70h | ~4,370 mi | varies* |
*Alaska gas price varies by Canadian province; estimate uses a blended rate. All figures one way from Cooperstown, NY, at 20 MPG. AAA averages, June 2026.
Times are no traffic, direct route, rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. Real world drive time will vary — budget extra for stops, construction, and the inevitable “we need snacks” moment 40 miles before the exit. 😄
Can You Drive From New York To Alaska?
Yes, you can actually drive from New York to Alaska. But let’s be real — this is a completely different kind of trip.
- Total miles: approximately 4,370 one way
- Drive time: roughly 70 hours
- Passport required: you drive through 4 Canadian provinces
- Route: New York → Pennsylvania → Ohio → Indiana → Illinois → Wisconsin → Minnesota → North Dakota → Saskatchewan → Alberta → British Columbia → Yukon → Alaska
- Estimated gas cost: approximately $1,050 one way
British Columbia is typically the most expensive leg of the Canadian portion, and the sheer distance is what drives the total up. The Canadian provinces are surprisingly reasonable on their own — it’s just a LOT of road.
Worth knowing: some states issue Enhanced Driver’s Licenses that allow land border crossings into Canada without a full passport. Check with your state’s DMV before you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because gas actually costs different amounts in different states. California and Washington run over $5.50 a gallon. Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee often sit under $3.65. If we used New York’s price for the entire trip, you’d get a completely wrong number for anything far from home. We use the actual price in each state for the miles you drive there.
Using the geographic center of each state gives everyone a fair, consistent target. If we picked major cities, some states would look artificially cheap or expensive just because their biggest city happens to sit near a border. The center point puts every state on equal footing.
No — all numbers are one way. Double it for a rough round trip estimate, though your return cost may vary a little depending on gas prices when you travel.
Use the MPG box above the map — type your number and every cost updates instantly.
Gas prices are based on AAA state averages from June 2026. Gas prices change constantly — for the most current numbers before your trip, check aaa.com/gas.
Ready To Start Planning?
Now that you know what gas will cost, the fun part is picking a direction. Check out our New York road trip guides for ideas on where to stop and what to see — whether you’re staying close with the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes or pointing the car toward something much farther off.
Hi, I’m Alice. I’ve been running Road Trip Owl for five years and taking 6+ multi-day road trips a year (plus more weekend escapes than I can count). These maps come from the real road — real routes, real prices, no national averages.
