The True Cost of Commuting

The True Cost of Commuting

At some stage in our lives, almost all of us will have to earn an income away from the confines of our home and so have to endure some form of commuting. Typically the costs associated with commuting have been restricted to purely financial with some arguing that an increased commute can actually be financially beneficial.

This weekend, The Guardian ran an article on the costs of commuting relative to the difference in house prices. The results were pretty predictable with a clear drop in house prices as you went further away from a base of London. This can also be seen and applied to almost all cities and large towns in the UK where a premium will be paid to live in a cramped town-centre apartment over a nice countryside house:

commutecost

The article goes on to explore the financials further and makes a valid point that there are big savings to be made on the costs of housing relative to increased commuting financial costs. However, relegated to the bottom of the page is a brief mention that any such savings need to be weighed against the costs to your quality of life.

I believe that these costs are all too often ignored when people are considering a lengthy commute and that the financial rewards do not automatically compensate for such.

 

In their recent report on Commuting and Personal Wellbeing, the Office for National Statistics identified several key points relating to the negative impacts on quality of life as a direct and correlated result of increased commuting times. Specifically, The ONS states that:

‘Holding all else equal, commuters have lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, lower levels of happiness and higher anxiety on average than non-commuters.’

And it’s not just the action of commuting that has an impact, it’s also the length of commute:

‘The worst effects of commuting on personal well-being were associated with journey times lasting between 61 and 90 minutes. On average, all four aspects of personal well-being were negatively affected by commutes of this duration when compared to those travelling only 15 minutes or less to work.’

If we were to take a Reading to London commuter working near Liverpool Street station on an average day:

trainjourney

Taking time to walk to/from the station at both ends and a few minutes loitering on the platform gives us a one-way trip of almost 2 hours. Combined with a return journey and that’s 4 hours a day of being stuck on hot overcrowded trains. I can’t begin to image what sort of effect that daily mind-numbingness would have on someone after a few years.

There is also the uncertainty related to lengthy commutes which can have a huge impact on daily life. By choosing to endure a long commute, you are exposing yourself to a higher risk of disruption. Traffic jams, mechanical failure and road closures are all more likely to be encountered the longer you are driving for. Similarly, disruptions to public transportation will increase if you have to link together multiple methods of transport (such as a bus to the train station). These factors beyond our control have a direct knock-on impact on both levels of stress and free time lost.

By saving £200k on the house price, a commuter may be able to achieve financial independence earlier however that assumes they are able to endure the additional stresses for the time that they are working. Also to be considered is the knock-on effect to family members, especially younger children, who will see their parent much less during the week due to the commute time. A senior colleague in my department recently mentioned that he had an over 2-hour commute each way for work so that his kids could enjoy living out in the countryside. I couldn’t help but wonder if his kids might prefer having their father around for breakfast each morning and to read them a story before bedtime instead..

 

A balance needs to be struck between the financial and quality of life effects of the length of commute and this balance will be personal to everyone individually. I have always disliked commuting, especially on forms of public transportation due to the reliance on external factors and time taken. Instead, I’ve always aimed to ensure my commute is no more than 30 minutes each way and not reliant on public transport (although having that option as a backup).

What about you? Do you endure a long commute for cheaper housing or a higher salary? Or would you instead prefer a shorter commute and more free time each day?

5 thoughts on “The True Cost of Commuting

  1. I really like the new layout. I work at home, so my commute is minimal. My previous commute was a 7 minute drive in the car or a 15 minute bike ride. (~3.2 miles). I don’t know how people do the 1+ hour commutes. I had a co-worker who did a “76 mile one way” commute for 7 years. He lost 2.5 hours of every day to driving. Ouch.

    If I had to I would change jobs before taking a long commute.

    1. Thanks Wade. I wish I could work from home, my partner recently negotiated a 2 days working from home per week deal and we’ve estimated thats saving over £2000 a year in petrol alone.

      I agree, I’d change jobs before taking a long commute. Infact I have turned down quite a few jobs which were located in London purely because the pay increase wouldnt cover my extra stress levels and time wasted standing on the overcrowded trains.

    1. Hi Louise!

      Nothing wrong with being different, infact it’s always great to hear some opposing viewpoints. I know of several people who enjoy their commutes as it gives them time alone in their thoughts to read a book or watch a film on the ipad etc. Personally though; I’d rather do this in the comfort of my own home instead of whilst sat on a bus. I guess this might change though if I had kids running around screaming waiting for me back home ;)

  2. I would prefer that my job was nearer my home (58 miles each way), but on the other hand, London is a god forsaken hell hole and I like to put a large distance between me and that madness. You couldn’t pay me enough to live there.

    Pressing the ‘eject’ button in about a year…

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