With increasingly unaffordable house prices in Vancouver, many people who work in the city live in somewhat more affordable outlying communities such as Squamish. Across Canada, an estimated 15 million commuters make a trek to work on a daily basis. But what’s the real cost of commuting every day – and is it worth it?
Evan Biswanger has been commuting from Squamish to Vancouver for the past decade.
“I’ve both had other commuters ride with me to share the costs and also infrequently used ride shares,” he said. “It’s been better when I’ve had a commuter in my car, and the best rate, because you have someone sharing the costs. It’s also better for me when I take my own car, and easier, because I also have kids in daycare I need to pick up in Squamish at the end of the day. So, for kids and schedules, I really need to commute with my own car.”
But he estimates that commute is costing him quite a bit.
“I figure on average and depending which vehicle I use, I spend about $400 per month to get to work every month,” he said.
However, that calculation was only for Biswanger’s gas and parking in the city.
“There is also the wear and tear on my car,” he said. “And, just in the past two months I’m already out $4,000 in repairs to the two vehicles we use to commute.”
There’s also insurance to add to the mix.
“If you travel a certain number of kilometres for commuting, your insurance rates are higher,” he said. “So, yes I pay even more there, too.”
But Biswanger said he really has no choice.
“I have to go to the city to work,” said the graphic designer. “There just aren’t the jobs in Squamish yet.”
An online commuting costs calculator estimates the total cost of commuting Squamish to Vancouver is on average more than $17,000 per year, depending on parking costs, mileage, vehicle model and other variables.
But in the end, it isn’t the money Biswanger spends on the commute that concerns him most, rather the time.
“The other big variable for me is the time I miss spending with my kids,” he said. “I have two or more hours a day that I’m in my car commuting,” he said. “That’s time I don’t get to spend with my family. Then there’s all the stress associated with the commute. I worry daily about getting stuck in traffic and not making it home to get my kids at daycare. I also worry about being in an accident on the highway. So in the end, commuting has a lot more costs than just financial.”
