Commuting is a huge part of every suburban man and woman. If you live in the suburbs, you probably have to travel at least 20-30 miles to get to work each day, and then drive back home. You spend at least 30-60 minutes on the highway, and you can surely do something more useful during that time. On top of that, it’s an additional burden on your budget, since you have to pay a lot of money for gas, especially with these gas prices nowadays. It also takes a toll on your car, which is more susceptible to wear and tear when you spend so much time on the road with it. But, it’s something that you have to go through if you want to get to work and get your paycheck at the end of the month.
So, exactly how much does your commute cost? It can be calculated by taking all the parameters into account, such as the distance you travel each day, gas price, average gas mileage of your car and time spent commuting.
On average, Americans have a 40 miles round trip commute. The average commute time is about an hour, and the typical midsize vehicle burns about 20 mpg. Gas nowadays costs over $3, and as much as $3.50 in some states. If you have 20-25 work days a month, that would amount to over $8,000 a year, or roughly $650 a month. It’s a significant number, and that’s without repair costs that are inevitable when you are using your car that much. Add the frustration of having to spend couple of hours in your car each day, stuck in traffic jams, with a bunch of tasks waiting for you at work, commuting becomes a huge headache.
When you take these things into consideration, you start thinking about ways to cut commuting costs. You can do that by getting a vehicle with a good fuel economy, use the carpool lane, or move to a place that’s closer to work, which should be the last option if commuting becomes too expensive for you.