Free tool
Rent vs. commute: which home actually costs less?
Cheaper rent farther out, or pricier rent close to work? The rent difference is on the lease — the commute difference is hidden in your calendar. This calculator puts both in the same currency so you can compare homes honestly.
Option A
Option B
Option A wins
$225/month cheaper — $2,700/year — once your commute time is counted as money.
| Per month | Option A | Option B |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,200 | $1,900 |
| Time commuting | 14 hrs | 32 hrs |
| That time, in money | $420 | $945 |
| True monthly cost | $2,620 | $2,845 |
Taking Option B's cheaper rent means the extra commute pays you $17/hr — less than the $30/hr your time is worth, so the cheap rent is costing you.
What Option B's longer commute costs in life
- 210 extra hours a year — about 5.3 full workweeks
- Roughly 23 audiobooks you could have listened to (or slept through)
- Over 10 years: 88 full days of your life spent commuting — that's the part no rent discount refunds
Those commute minutes are guesses
Get the real numbers: rush-hour drive and transit times from your actual addresses to work, school and gym — your first report is free.
Get Your Free Commute ReportHow the math works
We assume 21 commuting days a month (a typical full-time schedule) and count both directions. Your commute hours are priced at the rate you pick on the slider — the default, $30/hr, is roughly a $62k salary. Any currency works; the math doesn't care.
Is commute time really worth your full hourly rate? Research on commuting satisfaction consistently ranks it among the least enjoyable parts of the day, and salary premiums for long-commute jobs suggest people implicitly price it at 50–100% of their wage. If that feels high, drag the slider down — the comparison still holds.
What the calculator can't know is whether your commute guess is right. A "25 minute drive" at 8am is often 40; a transit trip with one transfer can double on a bad day. That's the gap our commute reports close — real rush-hour drive and transit times between your actual addresses, from Google Maps traffic data.
Want the out-of-pocket side — gas, parking, transit pass? Try the commute cost calculator.
Weighing a job offer instead of a home? Try the salary vs. commute calculator.
Wondering if the minutes themselves are too many? See how far is too far to commute.
Moving to a new city? See commute guides for all metro areas.