SnapCalorieBurn — free MET-based calorie calculators
Walking 3 miles burns 195–340 calories. See your estimate by weight plus pace tips and daily walking strategies.
Walking three miles burns approximately 195–340 calories — roughly the equivalent of a small meal and achievable in about 45–60 minutes at a comfortable pace.
Three miles is a common daily walking distance for people who prioritize health. It corresponds to approximately 6,000–7,000 steps and takes 45–60 minutes at a typical 3–3.5 mph pace. This distance hits a sweet spot: it's long enough for meaningful calorie burn and health benefits but short enough to complete without special planning or significant time investment.
Walking 3 miles burns roughly the same total calories as running 3 miles — but in twice the time. Compared to cycling 3 miles, walking burns slightly more total calories but takes about 3 times longer. The per-mile calorie burn for walking is surprisingly competitive with other activities.
Building a daily 3-mile walking habit burns 1,365–2,380 calories per week. Over a month, this is equivalent to roughly 1.5–2.7 pounds of fat in calorie terms. Walk to the store instead of driving, take a 30-minute walk at lunch and another after dinner, or explore new neighborhoods on foot.
Direct answer: 3 miles (4.8 km) of walking burns an estimated 174–307 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~242 kcal). Intensity assumed: Moderate (3 mph) (MET 3.5). This is an estimate, not a measurement.
| Body weight | Calories burned |
|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | ~174 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~206 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~242 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~274 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~307 cal |
Example: At MET 3.5, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) of walking burns approximately 242 calories: 3.5 × 82 × 0.85 h ≈ 242 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 51 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Slow (under 2 mph) | 2 | ~139 cal |
| Brisk (3.5 mph) | 4.3 | ~300 cal |
| Fast (4 mph) | 5 | ~349 cal |
| Power walking (4.5+ mph) | 7 | ~488 cal |
An estimated 174–307 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 242 kcal, calculated as MET 3.5 × 82 kg × 0.85 hours.
About 4.7 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 3.0 kcal per kilogram of body weight across the whole session.
Because the MET formula scales directly with body mass: a 130 lb person burns about 174 kcal here versus 307 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 76% spread for the identical session.
Not by much. For a fixed distance the energy cost is dominated by moving your body mass, so a 180 lb person lands near 242 kcal either way. A faster pace raises the calories per minute but shortens the session.
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database of measured MET intensities for physical activities. Every figure on this page uses that value in the formula Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours).
They are estimates from population averages, not measurements. Individual results commonly land within about ±15% of the figure shown; actual intensity and pace, body composition and fitness, terrain and technique all shift the real number. The values are gross calories, so they include the energy you would have burned at rest.
Open the walking calorie calculator to enter your own weight, intensity and duration.