Every time my E-ZPass statement pops up in my email box, I cringe a little. It still shocks me when I realize how much it costs me just to get to work. I live in Bayside Queens, a 24-mile drive from The Journal News office in Harrison. I cross the Throgs Neck Bridge, which means I’m spend $9.60 each day just to get in and out of my borough. Multiple that by five days, and I’m shelling out 48 bucks a week. That works out to $192 a month and $2,300 a year! Oh yeah, and let’s not forget about gas…
The American Public Transportation Association has a cool commuting cost calculator that figures out how much you spend to drive to work vs. taking public transportation, if that’s an option for you. Meanwhile, MetroPool, a commuter service group run by New York and Connecticut transportation agencies, shows how much you can save by carpooling, a practice that has been dying in recent years. There are tons of commuting expense calculators online that get into great detail—from insurance payments to the cost of vehicle maintenance—to break down how much you are truly spending.
What are your commuting expenses every week, month, or year? How you done anything to your living budget to accommodate these costs? Talk about it in the comment section below.
(Journal News/LoHud.com file photo)
16 Comments
My commute isn’t too bad in terms of money. Gas and tolls cost me about $100 a week. For me it isn’t the monetary cost that bothers me. It’s the stress. Every time I go across the Traffic Zee Bridge probably takes a day or two off of my life. If it takes me more than 10 minutes to get across that bridge the toll should be waived, too. It is my twice daily torture session.
400 in tolls a month, Westchester to Staten Island.
25 miles from Westchester to NYC takes 40 min in the summer but about 1 1/2 hours with all the school rush hour. Very frustrating but happy to announce that I’ve decided to further my career closer to home – only 5 miles from my home starting this month.. phew!
Wow. Westchester to Staten Island. That’s quite a trek! I will stop complaining about my commute now.
I am so lucky in regards to my commute!! I love it Yonkers to Yonkers…
Yonkers to NYC. Reverse! Reverse!
I commute from Rockland County to Great Neck LI 5 days a week. I am looking at 80 miles round trip, $3 a day for the TZB on the commuter plan (but i have to USE 20 trips a month to get that rate, if i use 17, i still get charged $9 for the remaining 3 days) i then pay $1.25 both ways at the Yonkers toll. Once I cruise down the hutch to the Throgs neck im looking at $4.80 each way, as i can i only receive the standard ezpass discount. Lets couple up a little mandatory traffic every day, with a hint of gas expense and a touch of wear and tear, and im looking at a wonderful daily commute! Total cost per month is approx $525-$550.
My commute costs me nothing – I telecommute from my desk in the kitchen. It’s isolated and lonely. I miss the energy of working with colleagues. I’d be happy to pay for the cost of the commute if that was an option. Unfortunately, because my company is saving on real estate costs, it is not an option.
Anne,
I can understand that. As much as I think it would be nice (and less expensive) to work from home, I enjoy being around my colleagues to discuss ideas, ask for advice on a story, or just joke around. I guess a happy medium would be splitting the week between home and an office. But you are right that many companies are trying to save money on office space, leaving employees feeling isolated at home and strangely disconnected, despite all our technology. Commuting can be tough, but so can working alone.
With gas at $4.00 and up, 80 mile round trip, and the Tappan Zee Bridge toll; I spend $6,148.77 a year. This does not include car payments, registration, inspection, or insurance. The Palisades and Tappan Zee Bridge are the worst; the sun rises directly east over the bridge and it sets directly west on I87. At those times traffic almost comes to a slow crawl for twenty minutes because of sun glare. If you don’t time yourself right, you may be stuck for about thirty-five minutes from the Palisades entry to the super-structure. I have done this commute for 12 years and I still haven’t gotten use to the traffic patterns.
I BOLTED THE STUPID STATE OF NY IN 1993 WHY STAY IN THE INFRASTRUCTURAL TOILET BOWL OF THE NORTHEAST EMPIRE STATE GET REAL HOW ABOUT THE GARBAGE BARGE STATE REMEMBER 1987 AND THAT STINK,IN BARGE DOCKED IN GRAVESEND BAY BROOKLYN!?!!HERE IS THE SYMBOL OF ALBANY AND THEIR BOOTLESS ASSININE INEFFECTIVE REGRESSIVE TREACHEROUS BLASPHEMOUS ATROCIOUS OUTLANDISH APPROACH TO MAINTAINING AND AND AND NOW HERE IT IS UPDATING GET IT THE STOOGES IN ALBANY THE PUSSILLAMINOUS PIPSQUEAKS OF THE NASSAU COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION WHO REJECTED ROBERT MOSES BRILLANT SUPER BRILLANT PLAN FOR THE RYE OYSTER BAY BRIDGE CAN U IMAGINE BUT THE STUPID STATE OF NY AND THESE SWINE IN OUR STATE GOV. HAD SOME HELP FROM THE JUDAS ISCARIOT GOV OF CONN. ABE RIBBICOLF AND A SODOMITE CONGRESSMAN FROM FAIRFIELD COUNTY STU MCKINNEY THEY HELPED RAMROD A FAKE FRAUDLENT ECO. WETLANDS BILL THRUCONGRESS THAT EFFECTIVELY KILLED THE WHOLE MONUMENTAL PROJECT BUT THEN AGAIN NY HAS ALWAYS BEEN A JOB KILLING STATE THIS BRIDGE WOULD HAVE GENERATED OVER 40000 JOBS BY 1980 ALONE!!!! GET THAT DON,T EVEN MENTION THE BOON TO TOURISM IN YOUR STUPID STATE HOW DUMB CAN U GET??!!! THE STUPID STATE OF NY HAS FORFEITED BILLIONS OF $$$$$$$$$$$ BY ITS MALFEASINCE IN REGARSDS TO ITS ROADS AND BRIDGES GEE WHIZ WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE GARBAGE BARGE STte even built a major bridge need a hint?? well here a clue get ready now it was when the beatles came to shea stadium for the start of their first tour of america it was pandemonism!!!the year 1964!!thereis only i frame of reference to your stupid stTE IN THE FAILED FIELD OF THE CRITICAL NEEDS OF YOUR FUTURELESS REGIONAL ECON. CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE AND THE COMPLETE DERELICTION OF DUTY LOOK THESE SWINE RESPONSIBLE HAVE BLOODSTAINED HANDS FOR THIS AND I WANT TO BE THERE IN THE GREAT ASSIZE WHEN TOSE GUILTY OF SUCH GROSS NEGLIGENCE GET THE SHOVE INTO HELL.!JUST BEFORE I MADE THE EXODUS IN 1993 I CALLED UP MY LOCAL STATE SEN SUZI CREAMCHEESE OPPENHEIMER TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ATROCIOUS CONGESTION ON I 287 ONLY TO BE CURTLY TOLD BY ONE OF LACKEYS THAT IT WAS NOT THEIR CONCERN BUT THAT I SHOULD TRY GOV PATACKIS OFFICE AND MAYBE HE COULD HELP OUT THIS WITCH IN OFFICE DECADE AFTER STINK,IN DECADE AND U WONDER WHAT ALBANY THINKS OF THE POOR SLOB COMMUTER ITS NOT EVEN ON THEIR RADAR! NO WAY ! I GUAREENTEE U THEY DO NOT NOT FEEL YOUR PAIN LOOK I,LL TELL U WHAT I WOULD COME BACK TO NY IF THIS STUPID STATE WOULD AT LEAST INDEMNIFY ME FOR A 1000 PER MONTH NOW THATS ONLY REASONABLE YOUR STUPID STATE WOULD BE GETTING A BARGAIN MY MIDDLENAME IS CA$HFLOW SO TELL SHELDON HEY HOW ABOUT A BILL FOR DISGRUNTLED NEW YORKERS LIKE THIS MAN U COULD AT LEAST TRY TO WOO THEM BACK AND I STILL HAVE FRIENDS AND X FRIENDS IN SODOM NYC AND THE BEAUTIFUL CATSKILLS MOUNTAINS SOME REIGHTEOUS PEOPLE UP THERE~ !NYS WILL WILL STINK FOR A 1000 YEARS FOR THIS MALFEAISENCE WHO WOULD WANT TO TAKE A BUSINESS WHERE THE VULTURINE REGRESSIVE BLASPHEMOUS TAX STRUCTURE LIKE NY THE WORST THEN NJ THEN CONN. WHERE I LIVE ON THE WEST COAST OF FL. I DON,T PAY A DIME OF TAX NOT A DIME AND BEING A VET I HAVE A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION HALLELUJAH!OH AND I CAN ALSO DRIVE TO A WORLD CLASS BEACH ANYDAY OF THE WEEK AT 75MPH TO 80 MPH SAFELY AND SERENELY I CALL IT LOUNGING IN MY LEXUS THIS CERTAINLY BEATS THE SCHLEPP DRIVE TO JONES BEACH I USED TO ATTEMPT WHEN I LIVED IN REGRESSIVE RYE NY BACK IN THE 80,S TOOK ALMOST 3 TO 4 HOURS ROUNDTRIP!!
WHOA PARTNER KEEP IT IN PARK.
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WE’VE BEEN HAD. WHEN THE NEW YORK BRIDGES WERE BUILT, THE PROMISE WAS THAT THEY WOULD BE TOLL-FREE WHEN THE BONDS WERE PAID OFF. THEN THERE WERE DREAMS OF THESE BRIDGES BEING CASH COWS FOR THE SUBWAY, SO THE TOLLS REMAINED. NOW THE BRIDGES ARE OVER-BURDENED AND UNDER-REPAIRED, AND THE TOLLS ARE GOING THROUGH THE ROOF. TOO BAD FOR US, BUT IF WE GO FOR THE MODERN TECHNOLOGY OF LARGE DIAMETER TUNNELS, INCLUDING TRAINS, THE TOLLS MIGHT GET UNDER CONTROL AGAIN.
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