Here’s how much gas costs from Sacramento to these 8 popular road trip destinations

Needing a quick getaway from Sacramento? With popular destinations in driving distance, planning might not take much effort.

But with fluctuating gas costs, how do you budget for your trip?

“Gas prices may rise over the next few days based on slightly higher demand,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson in a July news release. “But it could be more of a blip than a trend, and demand may retreat once the holiday is further in the rearview mirror.”

In California, a gallon of regular gas is averaging $4.88, according to AAA, and Sacramento’s average is just a few cents less at $4.68 as of Thursday.

Using Fuel Economy, a website powered by the U.S. Department of Energy, we calculated how much a driver would spend on fuel to popular destinations around the capital city. The fuel costs were calculated using a 2023 Toyota Camry with an estimated 30% in-city driving.

Estimated gas prices for weekend trips from Sacramento

Below are popular destinations from Sacramento and the estimated round-trip fuel costs leaving from and returning to downtown Sacramento. Calculations do not account for time spent in traffic, so make sure to round up in your budget to account for unplanned expenses:

Lake Tahoe

Distance: Roughly 113 miles from downtown Sacramento

Cost: About $28.

Sonoma

Distance: Approximately 68 miles from downtown Sacramento

Cost: About $15.

San Francisco

Distance: Approximately 88 miles from downtown Sacramento

Cost: About $21.

Chico

Distance: About 90 miles from downtown Sacramento

Cost: About $22.

Napa

Distance: Approximately 62 miles from downtown Sacramento

Cost: About $15.

Los Angeles

Distance: Approximately 386 miles from Downtown Sacramento.

Cost: About $94

Mendocino

Distance: Approximately 197 miles from Downtown Sacramento.

Cost: About $48.

Monterey

Distance: Approximately 186 miles from downtown Sacramento.

Cost: About $45.

Big Sur

Distance: Approximately 218 miles from downtown Sacramento.

Cost: About $52.

This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 5:00 AM.