Calculator formulas
Commute days per year = (days_per_week − remote_days_per_week) × 48 working weeks.
Yearly fuel = (distance × 2 ÷ fuel_efficiency) × fuel_price × commute_days.
Yearly cost = fuel + transit + parking + tolls + maintenance, each scaled by the share of in-office days.
Effective hourly wage = (salary − yearly_commute_cost) ÷ (work_hours + commute_hours).
Long-horizon costs: 5-year, 10-year and 40-year lifetime projections assume today's prices and behaviour; they do not compound inflation or salary growth, by design — readers should treat them as a "if nothing changes" baseline.
Data assumptions
- • 48 working weeks per year (allowing for ~4 weeks of holiday, sick days and public holidays).
- • 8-hour standard workday for hourly-wage derivation.
- • Fuel efficiency and fuel price are user-supplied; defaults reflect EIA and Eurostat averages at the most recent review date.
- • Parking, tolls, transit and maintenance are scaled linearly by the share of in-office days — we do not assume annual contracts continue if you go fully remote.
Statistical methods
Article-level statistics (averages, percentiles, year-over-year changes) are computed directly from primary-source datasets listed on our data sources page. We use the median, not the mean, for any metric with a long tail (commute time, fuel price, parking cost) and disclose the n and time period.
Limitations
Our calculator is informational. It does not model accident risk, vehicle depreciation curves, employer-paid commuter benefits, regional tax deductions or non-linear pricing (e.g. peak/off-peak transit). The lifetime projection assumes a 40-year working life and does not adjust for inflation, salary growth or relocation. For a personalised financial decision, consult a qualified advisor.
Data update frequency
Default fuel prices and transit fares are reviewed quarterly. Government and OECD statistics are refreshed at each agency's publication cadence. Pillar articles carry a "Last updated" date reflecting their most recent factual review.