Originally Posted By: PimTac
Originally Posted By: johnchui1984
HI man. Apologize for late reply and thanks for your suggestion if I consider move closer I would like to share my experience in the followings:
You are right it is a round trip. 70 miles one way so every day it would be ~140 miles. It would be around 3000 miles driven each month. I usually fill up at Exxon/Shell with 87 octane @ USD 2.2, so the fuel cost is around USD 200.
My regular maintenance is one oil change every month (~30) , and every year two air filters change (~30), four new tires with alignment (~ 500), CVT fluid change (~150), Drive belt and radiator cap (~150). I wash my car, vacuum etc, twice every week by myself (free).
Therefore, the annual cost of commuting is around USD 3500 in terms of the car, and 6000 in terms of rent, food and all other stuff. Total 9000-10000 living cost for a year.
If I move closer to school and work, I will have to pay 12000 annually and therefore save 150 minutes traffic time every day. Since I will be living alone in this case, everyday I have to spend time to wait for the bus (~15-30 minutes), house cleaning, clothes washing etc.
I think both of the choices are not very good for me, but I have no other choice at this moment. And there are many people who work hard for their lives I think I am not the worst case so I try to accept my current situation and spend my time effectively.
And happy Christmas to everyone!
I hear you on the cost of living. Here in the Seattle-Tacoma metro region high real estate prices and high rents are pushing people way out into the burbs as well. So a 50 mile one way commute is fairly common here. With the traffic situation 1.5-2 hours is likely. I know a couple who spend 4.5 hours each day in their round trip commute and they use the train. This area is not alone. It’s a fact of life living in large cities.
Commute life. No thanks. Nope, don't really want to ride the train, either.
You know what's funny? I have live in the middle of this small city beacuse houses are much cheaper downtown than out in the suburbs. I commute out past the suburbs for work, so it's a reverse commute. No traffic jams, 10 minutes of city roads, and 25 minutes of two-lane rural highway. My turbo-direct-injection engine has it good.