Daily commute $$ to work toll/gas/parking

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Originally Posted By: Chris142
is there a way around the toll roads? there is here.people pay extra to use them. what about parking? does the employer not provide a parking lot?
these may be silly questions coming from a west coast desert rat


There are local roads you can use to bypass the toll road, but it would probably add anywhere from 1/2 hour to an hour to the commute each way. As for parking, in the city, the employer usually doesn't provide it, if it did, it's a taxable benefit anyway. Old cities on the east coast just don't have the space the west coast does.
 
Originally Posted By: evandostert
Looking at my commuting costs the other day. Boston burbs thru 2 toll roads and daily parking.
My simple commute on a daily basis is about $40 per day
broken up by gas 11mpg in city about $22
tolls roughly $9
parking $10

Wondering what other people are averaging.



Not a worst case scenario by a long shot, though. If you are driving the 200K vehicle in your signature you are side-stepping depreciation expenses which, at 2.5K per year would add another $10 per day to your expense. It may be non-cash, but its a very real expense.

For me, its probably $8 per day in depreciation.

$3 per day in gas. 3.75 mile commute made 2X day (I go home for lunch).

$3 per day insurance.

Free parking, so $14 per day. The people who take the train pay $4 plus whatever it costs them to drive to the station.

Living close gives me a lot of flexibility. I can drive any old car to work, from a complete beater to an unreliable hobby car. College age student needs a car for internship. If I lived in the 'burbs I'd have to buy one. I'll give the kid my car and ride my bike to work this summer instead. An entire car purchase avoided.

Its easy to say "move" to the original poster, but the reality is there is the equivalent of an additional 40cent to 50cent per gallon general fund subsidy to gas that funds our roads (OP may be an exception to the rule with his tolls) So there is an economic incentive to have a longer than optimal commute.
 
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Originally Posted By: evandostert
Looking at my commuting costs the other day. Boston burbs thru 2 toll roads and daily parking.
My simple commute on a daily basis is about $40 per day
broken up by gas 11mpg in city about $22
tolls roughly $9
parking $10

Wondering what other people are averaging.



I would feel uncomfortable spending that much on Gas.
As for the other expenses, I don't know what options you have.
 
54 mile round trip, so about 1.2 gal/day
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Turk
Originally Posted By: evandostert
Looking at my commuting costs the other day.

My simple commute on a daily basis is about $40 per day




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Unacceptable!

DUDE! Move!! Or something!!!

that or his boss needs to pony up to help.

Say What! Boss already pays him, move or find another job.
 
9 miles to work, 8 miles home. All highway. Focus averages 35MPG (higher in winter, lower in summer).

At $4 a gallon in the focus, it's around $400 a year. $1.40 a day. Almost got to move 2 miles from work.
 
I travel either 84 miles or 110 miles to and from work daily, depending on whether I have to also take kids to school in the morning. I used to commute in my F-150 to the tune of about $115 per week. My Jetta costs me from $42 to $55 a week in diesel fuel. I don't have any tolls or parking costs, just fuel and vehicle costs.
 
I drive about 4 miles each way. The grocery store and pharmacy are on the way home. I drive about 50 total miles each week. With the grocery store fuel perks, I haven't paid for gas in my Accord since January. Most weekend trips are made in the Lincoln, and I've bought gas twice since the first of the year.
My previous job was 82 miles round trip. The fuel savings alone have been a huge increase in available money.
 
You guys are way underestimating cost, though. OP in addition to his listed expenses has insurance expenses, repair and consumable expenses, although he wisely escapes depreciation expenses. I have no idea what registration expenses are in MA, I assume nominal for such an old vehicle.

Add at least another $7 to that daily expense. $3 for insurance and $4 for repairs, and consumables, (oil, wipers, battery, tires, brakes) The OP is really pushing $50 per day for his commute.

Notice that switching from an 11 mpg truck to a 25 mpg Subaru Impreza would save maybe $12 per week in gas, at the cost of $50 per week in depreciation and probably licensing expenses, minus consumable and repair expenses, or a net loss of around $40 per week.
 
About 90 miles round trip for me. Prius averages about 46 mpg because I probably drive too aggressively. Need to learn how to coast more and hypermile.

1.9 gallons of fuel * 3.50/gal (current) = $6.65
Toll Road #1...usually use twice a day = $2.50 * 2 = $5.00
Parking is negligible. My company covers all but $10 a month.
Toll Road #2...infrequently use once a day = $5.10
About $0.09/mile for depreciation according to Edmunds. So $8.1

I'd have to look up estimated repairs/maintenance costs and what I pay in insurance. I think it is high enough already. $16.75 without the second toll road. Up to $21.85 not counting insurance and maintenance.

I'll add it can also take me two hours in the afternoon.

I could have bought an older car to avoid the depreciation, but a hybrid gets me in the HOV lane coming home, which can save about 20 minutes I'd say on some days.

Other options? I could take a bus for about $17.00 a day, but it only leaves the office 3x's in the afternoon and I have late meetings sometimes. Driving to a train station would be even more expensive and take longer.
 
80 miles round trip- about 3 gals approx $11.50 a day at 3.85 a gallon

bridge toll round trip- $11 .66 with the discount

No parking charge (employee parking)

I could take the the LIRR and subway for free, but that would takes about 2 hours each way (45m drive), not an option.
 
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Last year, for my work Truck.

Insurance: $794,00

Gas: $706,02

Oil, parts and repairs: $255.80

Depreciation. It's a 1974 Toyota Pick up, I do claim some depreciation on my Tax return, but in reality it's '0'

No road Tolls but I did make two Ferry trips: $190

No Parking fees.
 
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Currently drive 130 miles round trip, for a total of 650 miles/week.
My Accord averages 32 miles/gallon for a total of 20.31 gallons/week.
Using $3.50/gal as an average gas price, I spend a total of $71.08/week for gas. I have no tolls and free parking.
Averaging it out daily, $14.22 in gas.
 
90 miles round trip. So 2gallons of diesel or under 5 of gas, depending upon vehicle (Jetta TDi vs Tundra). Car is maybe 10 c/m depreciation, truck is probably more like 20 plus. Insurance, not sure but each is like 900 per year, but obviously that c/m depends upon what I actually drive for miles. Plus about $2 in tolls.

I usually drive the Jetta, for obvious reasons.
 
My wife pay $18 in tolls and between $12-$18 a day gas depending which car she drives Jetta vs X3. She was in a carpool till this year but this year she drives solo. She retires in 4 years so there is and end in sight.

I pay about $8 in gas and about $1.50 in tolls each day.
 
Its cents per mile that counts, plus parking and toll fees on top of it. Fuel consumption is only part of the overall cost to run a vehicle.

I think the mileage write off this year for the IRS is around .55 cents a mile. With my older truck I beat that, last I figured it out by about .20 cents.

However a new vehicle especially a thirsty one costs more to run per mile, depreciation is the largest expense.
 
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24 miles round trip... 2/3 of a gallon per day, so $12/week.

Fixed costs... insurance, registration, inspection are only $275 a year.
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Depreciation... if my saturn disappeared tomorrow I'll have driven it for $72/ year.
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Realistically I expect to get the $800 I paid 11 years ago back when (if) I sell it.
 
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