Driveway Cost Calculator

Gravel, by a wide margin, then asphalt, then concrete. Material cost isn't the whole story though. Gravel needs topping up and re-grading every few years, asphalt needs resealing on a similar cycle, and concrete costs the most upfront but usually outlasts both with the least attention. Cheapest to install and cheapest to own are rarely the same driveway.

Concrete and gravel each have a published national average behind them, from NRMCA and USGS, that we can track month to month. Finished hot-mix asphalt doesn't. We looked, and what exists is secondary industry estimates, not a primary source. So asphalt gets a labeled range instead of a precise-looking number we can't actually stand behind.

No. This is material only, priced from your dimensions against current national rates. Installed cost adds labor, site prep, and equipment, and typically runs several times the material figure. For concrete specifically, the Concrete Cost Calculator carries a separate installed-cost range.

4 inches for a concrete driveway, 3-4 inches compacted for asphalt, and 4-6 inches for a gravel base. Go thicker on all three if anything heavier than a family car will use it regularly. RVs, work trucks, and delivery vehicles are what crack a driveway poured to the minimum.