📖 Overview
This calculator quantifies the real monthly tradeoff between remote and office setups.
It prices commute drag in both money and time then blends productivity effects into one net decision signal.
🧪 Example Scenarios
Use these default and higher-pressure example inputs to explore how sensitive this calculator is before using your real numbers.
| Input | Base Case | Higher Pressure Case |
|---|---|---|
| Round Trip Commute Time Per Office Day (minutes) | 90 | 108 |
| Commute Cost Per Office Day ($) | 18 | 21.6 |
| Office Days Per Week | 3 | 3.6 |
| Value Of Personal Time ($/hour) | 32 | 38.4 |
| Remote Productivity Change (%) | 5 | 6 |
⚙️ How It Works
Quantifies office overhead by combining commute money, commute time value, and productivity delta to estimate monthly remote-vs-office advantage.
The Formula
Monthly Advantage ≈ Commute Cost + (Commute Hours × Time Value) + Productivity Delta Value
| Commute Time | Round-trip minutes for each office day |
| Commute Cost | Out-of-pocket cost per office day |
| Office Days | Planned in-office days per week |
| Time Value | Dollar value of one hour of your time |
| Productivity Delta | Estimated remote productivity change in percent |
💡Commuting has both direct cash cost and hidden time-value cost. If both are ignored, office-heavy plans often look artificially cheap.
Quick Reference
| Office Pattern | Commute Hours/mo | Commute Cost/mo | Total Office Drag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 days/wk, 60 min RT, $14/day | 8.7h | $121 | ~$382 @ $30/h time value |
| 3 days/wk, 90 min RT, $20/day | 19.5h | $260 | ~$845 @ $30/h time value |
| 5 days/wk, 80 min RT, $18/day | 28.9h | $390 | ~$1,257 @ $30/h time value |
When To Use This
- Use this tool when you need a fast decision during active planning or execution.
- Use this before committing money, time, or tradeoffs that are hard to reverse.
- Use this to compare options using the same assumptions across scenarios.
Edge Cases To Watch
- Results can be misleading if key inputs are missing, stale, or unrealistic.
- Very small or very large values may amplify rounding effects and interpretation risk.
- If assumptions change mid-decision, recalculate before acting.
Practical Tips
💡 Use real schedules, not policy headlines, for office-day assumptions.
💡 Convert commute time into explicit cost using your actual hourly value.
💡 Model both optimistic and conservative productivity deltas.
Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Can this include childcare or meal differences?
Yes, add those to commute cost/day or adjust productivity/time value assumptions.
❓ Why include productivity delta?
Because time/location tradeoffs are not purely commute math; output quality and speed matter too.