Commuting Costs 31% More Than It Did Before The Pandemic

Commute

Commuting is now costing Americans more money and time. The average American spends $8,466 and spends 239 hours commuting yearly, according to calculations of various government data from real estate agent matching service Clever Real Estate.

That’s 31% more money and 20% more time than before the pandemic! In 2019,  commuting cost the average worker $6,449 and 200 hours a year. 

Clever found that the cost of getting to and from the office is about 19% of commuters’ annual income. That includes an average of $867 on gas and $410 on maintenance a year for a car.

There are several reasons that explain this: Inflation, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the increase in gas prices and the metro fare. Some remote workers moved away from high-cost cities during the pandemic and now have to return to the office on a hybrid or fully in-person schedule, making the commute longer and more expensive.

It’s no wonder many workers are so resistant to commuting as CEOs call workers back to the office. 

Research from Owl Labs found that remote workers spend half the amount of money as their in-person peers. In-person work runs a worker $863 monthly in commuting and food costs versus $432 a month when working from home. Of course, it’s all dependent on the situation. 

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