40 Cities With the Least Traffic and Best Gas Prices

For most people, having a car is non-negotiable as you need it to get to work, pick up your kids from school or even make a quick getaway on the weekend. With ever-rising gas prices, if you have a longer commute your travel time can quickly add up to a big chunk of your monthly budget.

Navigating through traffic jams and paying these premium costs, especially if you live in big cities like Los Angeles or New York, can significantly impact the quality of life in urban areas. Suppose you’re not one for public transportation but do want a more stress-free driving experience combined with economical fuel costs. In that case, it’s good to know some cities stand out across the U.S. where you can move to lower your cost of living from behind the wheel. 

GOBankingRates did a study to find a blend of low traffic congestion and affordable gas prices in several cities. The findings were based on the total population and workers aged 16 and up, the average commute time for workers aged 16 and up who don’t work from home and average gas prices in each city.

The commute times and gas prices were summed and sorted to rank them from the highest to the lowest overall score. To give you context, here are the scores for the top 10 cities out of the 40 listed.

Whether you are looking to enhance your driving experience, reduce the financial burden of fuel costs, considering a move or just looking for a road trip destination, these cities provide a reprieve from the typical metropolitan driving challenges outside of public transit. Here are the top 40 cities with the least traffic and best gas prices.

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 97,701
• Average commute time: 18.3 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.00

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 193,318
• Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $2.99

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 88,422
• Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $2.91

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 189,388
• Average commute time: 18.8 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.08

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 157,701
• Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.38

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 101,139
• Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.40

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 100,261
• Average commute time: 19 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.27

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 105,856
• Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.24

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 108,847
• Average commute time: 19.5 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.16

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 251,518
• Average commute time: 19.3 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.38

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 154,669
• Average commute time: 19.5 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.37

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 95,251
• Average commute time: 20.5 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.13

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 101,943
• Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.62

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 95,986
• Average commute time: 18.5 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.87

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 118,024
• Average commute time: 19.9 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.41

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 116,396
• Average commute time: 19.7 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.50

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 93,269
• Average commute time: 19.3 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.66

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 120,181
• Average commute time: 19.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.59

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 126,602
• Average commute time: 19.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.74

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 106,260
• Average commute time: 21.3 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.07

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 88,082
• Average commute time: 20.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.48

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 87,182
• Average commute time: 18.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $4.08

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 279,354
• Average commute time: 21.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.10

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 165,422
• Average commute time: 20.8 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.43

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 112,784
• Average commute time: 21.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.16

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 336,569
• Average commute time: 22 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.03

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 89,298
• Average commute time: 21.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.32

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 86,826
• Average commute time: 21.6 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.21

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 143,224
• Average commute time: 21.4 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.30

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 274,404
• Average commute time: 22.1 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.15

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 148,597
• Average commute time: 19.1 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $4.34

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 87,428
• Average commute time: 22.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.39

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 473,763
• Average commute time: 22 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.48

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 119,758
• Average commute time: 22 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.49

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 151,878
• Average commute time: 22.3 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.44

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 106,996
• Average commute time: 20.7 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $4.04

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 244,226
• Average commute time: 22.9 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.28

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 171,424
• Average commute time: 23.4 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.12

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 125,430
• Average commute time: 22.7 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.41

• Population of workers aged 16 and up: 261,078
• Average commute time: 22.2 minutes
• Average cost of gas prices: $3.64

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the largest 150 cities by population as sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey. For each city a number of factors were found including; the total population and workers aged 16 and up, the average commute time for workers aged 16 and up who don’t work from home, all sourced from the U.S. Census American Community Survey, and the average gas price as sourced from Gas Buddy. The average commute time for workers aged 16 and up was scored and the average gas price per gallon was scored. Both scores were summed and sorted to show the cities with the least traffic and best gas prices. All data was collected on and is up to date as of May 30th, 2024.