Is it cheaper to charge an EV than buy gas?

Usually, if you charge at home — typically about a third of the per-mile cost of gas. The advantage shrinks or disappears if you rely on public DC fast charging or live in a high-electricity state.

How much does it cost to drive an EV per mile versus gas?

Charging at home runs roughly 5 cents a mile (at ~$0.16/kWh and 3.4 mi/kWh), versus about 12–13 cents a mile for a typical gas car — but both swing with your local prices and your vehicle's efficiency.

Can an EV still be cheaper if you live in an apartment?

Often yes, if your building offers shared Level 2 charging — that typically runs around 7–8 cents a mile, still below gas. The savings mainly shrink if your only option is public DC fast charging, so check what your building bills per kWh.

Is charging at a public station cheaper than gas?

Often not. DC fast charging can cost $0.40–$0.60/kWh, which works out to roughly the same per mile as gasoline. The big EV savings come from home or building charging.

Is Electricity Cheaper Than Gas? (2026 Cost-Per-Mile Breakdown)

Short answer: for most drivers who charge at home, yes — usually around a third of the per-mile cost of gas. But it's not automatic. Where you charge matters as much as what you drive. Here's the actual math so you can find your own number.

The cost-per-mile formula

You don't need a calculator to see the shape of it — just two small divisions:

Gas: price per gallon ÷ miles per gallon = cost per mile.
EV: price per kWh ÷ miles per kWh = cost per mile.

That's the whole comparison. Everything else is plugging in your real prices.

The typical case: charging at home

Say electricity runs about $0.16/kWh and an efficient EV does 3.4 miles per kWh. That's about 5 cents a mile. A 28-mpg gas car at $3.50 a gallon costs about 12.5 cents a mile. So home charging comes in around a third of the cost of gas. Over 13,000 miles a year, that's roughly $610 to charge versus $1,625 in gas — about $1,000 saved a year, before maintenance or anything else. This is the case most EV cheerleading is built on, and when it applies, it's real.

What it costs depending on where you plug in

The home-garage number is the best case. Here's how it shifts:

How you fuel	Cost per mile
Home charging (≈$0.16/kWh)	~5¢
Apartment/condo shared Level 2 (≈$0.25/kWh)	~7.5¢
Home charging, high-electricity state (≈$0.33/kWh)	~10¢
Gas (28 mpg @ $3.50/gal)	~12.5¢
Public DC fast charging (≈$0.45/kWh)	~13¢

Public fast-charging. Road-trip and pay-per-use DC fast stations can run $0.40–$0.60/kWh — three to four times home rates. At those prices an EV costs about the same as gas per mile.

Expensive-electricity states. Where home power is $0.33/kWh (California, much of New England), home charging is closer to 10 cents a mile — still under gas, but a slimmer win.

Cheap gas, thirsty EV. In a cheap-gas state, with a heavy, inefficient EV, the lines can cross the other way.

What if you don't have a garage?

Plenty of drivers — apartment and condo dwellers especially — can't plug into a private garage overnight. That doesn't automatically push you to expensive public charging. A growing number of buildings now offer shared Level 2 chargers in the parking area, and the cost usually lands in the middle: sometimes it's bundled into rent or HOA dues (effectively cheap), and sometimes it's metered through a network at a modest markup — often around $0.20–$0.35/kWh. At ~$0.25/kWh that's roughly 7–8 cents a mile: more than a home garage, but still comfortably under gas.

So for apartment dwellers the real question isn't "EV vs gas" in the abstract — it's what can you actually plug into, and what does it cost? Shared building Level 2 usually still beats gas; relying only on public DC fast charging usually doesn't. Before you commit, find out exactly what charging your building offers and what it bills per kWh, then run that number.

So — your number depends on three things

Where you charge — home garage (cheap), shared building Level 2 (middle), or public DC fast (expensive).
Your state's prices — both electricity and gas vary enormously by state.
Your EV's efficiency — a 4-mi/kWh sedan beats a 2.5-mi/kWh truck by a lot.

That's exactly why a national-average answer is nearly useless, and why this calculator uses your state's real electricity and gas prices and lets you set your own efficiency and charging mix.

Bottom line

For drivers who can charge at home — or at a reasonably priced building charger — electricity is meaningfully cheaper than gas, often about a third the cost per mile. But "cheaper" isn't guaranteed: relying on public fast-charging, or living in a high-electricity state, can pull it to a tie or worse. Run your own prices before you assume either way.

Compare your real cost per mile →

FAQ

Is it cheaper to charge an EV than buy gas?: Usually, if you charge at home — typically about a third of the per-mile cost of gas. The advantage shrinks or disappears if you rely on public DC fast charging or live in a high-electricity state.
How much does it cost to drive an EV per mile versus gas?: Charging at home runs roughly 5 cents a mile (at ~$0.16/kWh and 3.4 mi/kWh), versus about 12–13 cents a mile for a typical gas car — but both swing with your local prices and your vehicle's efficiency.
Can an EV still be cheaper if you live in an apartment?: Often yes, if your building offers shared Level 2 charging — that typically runs around 7–8 cents a mile, still below gas. The savings mainly shrink if your only option is public DC fast charging, so check what your building bills per kWh.
Is charging at a public station cheaper than gas?: Often not. DC fast charging can cost $0.40–$0.60/kWh, which works out to roughly the same per mile as gasoline. The big EV savings come from home or building charging.