Commute Time Value Calculator

This page does not estimate how long your commute is. You already know that. It takes the number you know and works out what it costs you across a year, in hours and in money.

If you are weighing a move or a new job and have never driven the route, here is how to estimate the one-way time to type in.

The basic formula:

Travel time = Distance / Average speed

Unit consistency matters:

If distance is in km and speed in km/h, time is in hours.
Convert to minutes: time in hours × 60

Worked examples:

Car commute:
Distance: 18 km, average speed (including traffic): 30 km/h
Time = 18/30 = 0.6 hours = 36 minutes

Train commute:
Distance: 45 km, train speed 90 km/h average, but 10 min walk each end + 5 min wait
Pure travel: 45/90 = 0.5 hours = 30 min
Total: 30 + 10 + 10 + 5 = 55 minutes

Cycling:
Distance: 8 km, average cycling speed 18 km/h
Time = 8/18 = 0.44 hours = 26 minutes

Annual commute time cost:

26 minutes each way, 5 days/week, 48 working weeks:
Total commute time = 26 × 2 × 5 × 48 = 12,480 minutes = 208 hours per year

At an hourly rate equivalent of £25/hour: £5,200 in time value per year.

Commute and wellbeing:

Research consistently shows commutes over 45 minutes each way have significant negative effects on mental health, relationship satisfaction, and sleep. The “commute premium”, meaning the extra salary needed to justify a longer commute, works out at roughly $1,300 for every 10 minutes added to the daily journey.

Remote/hybrid comparison:

Eliminating a 40-minute daily commute saves about 173 hours per year, which is more than four working weeks.