(KRON) — Some companies are making their employees return to in-person work after working from home became common during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many workers in the Bay Area, that is bad news.
According to a new study from the Chamber of Commerce, the two cities with the most costly commutes in the United States are in the Bay Area.
Over a year, it costs San Francisco commuters $12,650.56 on average to get to and from work. The second-priciest city is Fremont, which costs its commuters $12,048.32 per year.
The study says the average round-trip commute for someone living in San Francisco is 58.4 minutes daily. In Fremont, that number is 55.2 minutes. Based on the median hourly wage in those cities, it costs San Francisco commuters $48.66 per day to get to and from work, and $46.34 for Fremont commuters.
Washington D.C., Jersey City and New York City rounded out the list’s top five. Other Bay Area cities to make the list were Sunnyvale (No. 8, $10,354.08), Oakland (No. 17, $8,415.01), San Jose (No. 18, $8,394.62) and Hayward (No. 22, $7,827.61).
“Overall, commuters in nine out of the top 10 cities lose an average of $10,000 worth of wages or more per year on commuting,” the Chamber of Commerce wrote. “That’s nearly twice as much as the nationwide cost for commuters, which is $5,748 per year, or $22.11 per day.”
If you’re looking for a city with a short commute, try Lubbock, TX. With the convenient Loop 289 stretching around the city, Lubbock’s average commute time is just 31.6 minutes round trip — the shortest of the 170 cities measured. In terms of cost, the Hub City has the second-cheapest commute behind Jackson, MS.
Methodology
The study seeks to answer this question: “What is the actual cost of a commute for those who find themselves trapped in traffic without getting paid for it?”
To determine how much each commute costs, the Chamber of Commerce took the median wage for full-time employees and the average commute time for each city. They then multiplied the wage per minute by the average round-trip commute time.
Full-time, year-round workers were defined as people 16 years or older who worked 35+ hours per week for 50-52 weeks per year.
FAQs
According to a new study from the Chamber of Commerce, the two cities with the most costly commutes in the United States are in the Bay Area. Over a year, it costs San Francisco commuters $12,650.56 on average to get to and from work. The second-priciest city is Fremont, which costs its commuters $12,048.32 per year.
What cities have the costliest commutes? ›
Metros with the highest annual commute costs
| Rank | Metro | Annual commute cost |
|---|
| 1 | New York, NY | $13,259.60 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $12,311.75 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $12,232.63 |
| 4 | Bridgeport, CT | $10,748.52 |
1 more rowOct 30, 2023
1 on the 2023 list, tying with Singapore. World's most expensive cities: The Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Worldwide Cost of Living Index ranks San Francisco as the 10th most expensive city in the world.
Is San Francisco a commuter city? ›
On average, San Francisco and Fremont commuters spend nearly 60 minutes each day to get in and out of their city while Sunnyvale commuters spend about 40.
Is the bay area expensive? ›
The average cost of living in San Francisco, by the numbers
In 2022, housing costs were 113% higher and utilities costs were 67.5% higher in the San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley metro area than the national average, according to federal data.
Is San Jose the most expensive city? ›
#1: San Jose, California
San Jose is all around one of the most expensive U.S. cities for buying and owning a home. It had the highest price increase at just under 10% as well as the highest median sales price of $1.85 million. San Jose homeowners also pay an average of $8,858 in property taxes each year.
Where do people commute the most? ›
The longest average commuting distances for males was in Queensland (18.9 km), followed by Western Australia (18.0 km). For women, the longest average commuting distance was in Victoria (14.6 km) followed by New South Wales (14.5 km).
Is San Jose or San Francisco more expensive? ›
San Jose is also expensive to live in, though it isn't quite as bad as San Francisco. A person, on average, needs about $2,000 less a month to live in San Jose.
What is the most expensive city in Cali? ›
Though different sources rank cities based on varying criteria, the four cities with the highest costs of living in California are San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Is LA or Bay Area more expensive? ›
Cost of living in San Francisco, California (United States) is 24% more expensive than in Los Angeles, California (United States)
The study found San Francisco commuters spend $12,650.66 annually on their commutes — just under $50 per day. The national average was $5,748.05, less than half of what San Francisco commuters are paying on average.
How many people commute into SF everyday? ›
San Francisco leads the Bay Area in attracting the most workers from outside its boundaries, with a net inflow of more than 200,000 commuters each day. Santa Clara County follows with a net inflow of 120,000 commuters each day.
Is San Francisco the most gentrified city? ›
More than 30% of eligible census tracts in San Francisco were gentrifying between 2013 and 2017, according to a recent report.
Why is SF so expensive? ›
The main reason San Francisco, California is ranked as one of the most expensive cities to live in the US is because of limited supply. There is high demand for homes in San Francisco because so many people want to live there. The location of the city prevents many suburbs as it is restricted by water on three sides.
What is the most expensive city in the Bay? ›
Atherton's median sales price was around $8.3 million during 2023, holding on to its top spot for another year. Highly sought-after spots like this usually defy general market trends, so this isn't surprising to any local realtors. In 2022 and 2023, Atherton was also the most expensive zip code in the US.
Is the Bay Area a rich area? ›
And while Bay Area households make more money than much of the United States, they also tend to have much higher costs of living — especially when it comes to housing. It takes less to be considered rich in metros where the median household earnings and cost of living are smaller.
What city has the highest average commute time? ›
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that residents of East Stroudsburg, a city about 40 miles north of Allentown in Pennsylvania, have the longest commute times of any metro area. Residents commute over 36 minutes each way on average, slightly more than in the New York-Newark-Jersey City at just under 36 minutes.
What are the most expensive cities to live and work? ›
The most expensive city in the world is Singapore, tied with Zurich, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) latest Worldwide Cost of Living survey, followed by Geneva, New York, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Paris, Copenhagen, Tel Aviv and San Francisco.
What city has the highest cost of living? ›
Most Expensive Places to Live in the U.S. in 2024-2025
- Hartford, CT.
- Los Angeles, CA.
- Miami, FL.
- New Haven, CT.
- New York City, NY.
- Santa Barbara, CA.
- Honolulu, HI.
Now, here they, the TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN THE WORLD:
- Singapore.
- Zurich.
- Geneva.
- New York City.
- Hong Kong.
- Los Angeles.
- Paris.
- Copenhagen.
