Commute cost calculator
Your commute isn't just the price of a ticket or the fuel in your car. It's also hours of your life, wear and tear on your body, and small costs that add up over a month. This page shows you how to estimate it properly and then plug it into the Real Cost Simulator.
1. Work out your time spent commuting
Start with a simple question: How many minutes does it take to get from home to work and back on a typical day? Include:
- Walking to the station, stop or car park
- Waiting time for trains, buses or rideshares
- Transfers or traffic jams
- Any "buffer" time you leave so you're not late
On the simulator, you can enter this as "Time spent commuting on a working day (there & back)". We then convert it into hours per week and factor it into your total job time.
2. Add your direct money costs
Depending on how you travel, this might include:
- Season tickets, travel cards or pay‑as‑you‑go fares
- Fuel, tolls, congestion charges and parking
- Taxi / rideshare costs for late nights or unsafe journeys
- Bike maintenance or rental fees
In the simulator we estimate this automatically from your region, city type and commute time, but you can also add an exact monthly commute cost if you know it.
3. Don't forget the "hidden" commute spend
Many commute calculators stop at tickets and fuel. Real life adds more:
- Coffees and snacks at the station
- Buying extra work clothes and shoes that survive the commute
- Takeaways because you're home late and exhausted
- Childcare wrap‑around hours so you can travel
These show up in the simulator in categories like "Time trade", "Comfort" and "Belonging" – because they're all part of the total cost of keeping your job going.
4. Compare remote, hybrid and office‑only setups
Once your commute is in the system, you can play with different setups:
- Set your transport mode to remote, walk/bike, public transport or driving
- Use the "What if" sliders to add remote days per week
- See how your leftover money and real hourly rate change as the commute shrinks
Sometimes, a small drop in salary for more remote days leaves you better off per hour than a higher‑paying, office‑only job.