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Ask HN: Would you take a pay cut for a shorter commute?

by ed_at_work on 8/19/18, 8:42 PM with 7 comments

So I'm at a crossroads. I just moved to a smaller city, about 50 miles from the nearest large population center. I still have a job in said population center making 110k. This results in a commute of about an hour

The problem is, if I take a job locally, I'm looking at a pay cut of 10-15k.

I really can't judge if that's worth it or not. I've done long commutes before and there are pluses and minuses of course. But I really am struggling to decide on what's the better choice: more money, or more time...

Thoughts?

  • by sjg007 on 8/19/18, 8:54 PM

    Gas is costing you $3k per year already, plus the mileage and upkeep. That 10k is really like 7k after tax so your extra income is $4k which is $333 per month. Plus you are using 2 hours per day of your life to the commute. This is 40hrs a month for the $333 or about $8.32 an hr.
  • by flyer428 on 8/19/18, 10:15 PM

    I've commuted 1hr by car for 2.5yrs. Don't recommend it. I'd happily take a 15k paycut if my company relocated within a 15 min drive. The driving became so mind-numbing after a few months. And I shudder to think of all the lost sleep from the early mornings.
  • by fturco on 8/20/18, 8:30 PM

    If I were you I would certainly take the local job. I strongly hate commuting.
  • by gaspoweredcat on 8/20/18, 7:23 AM

    personally im not that averse to commuting, i use the time to read and listen to music, its probably different if youre travelling by car rather than train though