thevicenarian.com

The cost of your commute

Posted by Tad Johnson - Feb 22nd, 2008 at 15:02

Where do you live? Where do you work? How do you travel between the two?

In many cities in the U.S., this feat of transportation is accomplished by the personal automobile. We call it a commute. The question is, what does it cost?

Assuming gasoline stays at or above $3 a gallon (which is highly likely) and assuming your car gets the average of 25 mpg, you’re paying $0.12 a mile. If you drive an SUV, you’re likely paying twice that. A hybrid might be half as much.

At this rates, a 10 mile commute costs $2.40 (round trip); a 20 mile commute runs you $4.80. Those of us unfortunate enough to drive 30 miles each way pay $7.20 every day. Over the course of a year, this would cost $600-1800. Just for gas. Ouch.

Then there’s auto maintenance, car payments, insurance, parking, etc. Driving to work every day turns out to be a pricey endeavor. As a vicenarian, you can do better.

First, the easy stuff: take public transportation or carpool. Work from home one a week if you can. If you’re lucky enough to bike to work, take advantage. (You’d be surprised at how enjoyable a 10 mile bike ride can be.) When you do the math, you can save a good deal of cash just by modifying your transportation choices.

Now, the harder stuff: think about where you live. Our nation’s suburbs have lured many a homeowner with promises of cheap houses and huge yards. In most cities, you’ll pay more to live near the city center. Then again, you’ll pay less for transportation. In the ideal case, you could live in a city with good public transportation and give up a car altogether.a