Everyday I commute roughly 54 miles round trip to get to and from work, which takes a little more than an hour for each leg of the trip. Occasionally, I have the fortune to share a ride with my neighbor and carpool to work, which then only takes about 30 minutes.

Regardless of how I get to work, I have to get to work and on time. I also live in the suburbs so that puts me in the same game as millions of other commuters vying to do the same and this can vary my comfort level drastically from time to time… thank you very much lady who decided to forgo taking a single shower for the past week.

Anyway, for first couple of months, I opted for public transportation as it was the most convenient way to get to work and the ride wasn’t too bad. I was always able to find a seat and the people were quite polite on the train. However, as my contentment for the comforts of mass transit began to wean, I started to ponder: what’s the true cost of taking this trip every weekday for a whole year and what are my other options?

Here’s the breakdown:

• By car, the commute is about 27 miles and the traffic is decent at best. Idling time is marginal and unless there’s an accident or construction going on, I can get to and from work in an hour.
• I drive a compact car that gets about 30 mpg highway and insurance is estimated to be around $600/year.
• Since I already own a car and so does my neighbor (carpool) the costs associated with buying a new car will not be factored in the equations.
• If I go by metro, the station is about 2 miles away, which can be reached by bus for $.90 or by car (dropped off and picked up) and the total trip fare is a whopping $9.00 r/t.
• I work for about 250 days/year

So basically, the cheapest way to get to and from work is by metro but only by about $100 – which, given the additional travel time, I’d rather be without. I value 375.5 hrs of sleep time more than $100! Granted these values are ball-park figures rather than true So basically, the cheapest way to get to and from work is by metro but only by about $100 – which, given the additional travel time, I’d rather be without. I value 375.5 hrs of sleep time more than $100! Granted these values are ball-park figures rather than true time tested values, but I think they paint a decent picture of what my costs are in my daily commute to work… which begs the question: how to do you get to and from work? What have you found/done to ease the costs associated with the commute? Please share your experiences!

*Oops - Forgot to mention: These figures were calculated based on $4/gallon gas, which now is down to $3.62.