It is not free to move, and it is unlikely that a person in this situation can find work closer to home.

You miss the problem of selling old house, getting new house or (more likely) rental versus low additional payment per week. Maybe you have kids, and the school where you are is better than the one you would move to. Maybe both spouses are working and you had to make that "whose work do we live closer to" decision.

You're right it isn't free to move, but what I think their point was is that not many people do the math to see how much it is costing them in money and time. I've done both, but when I was driving an hour each way I never sat down to think of how much it was costing. Normal people probably just don't even think that way, but once you see it on paper it is scary and I think a lot of people would reevaluate things like the cost to move, schools, and your job.

This calculator seems pretty useful: http://www.commutesolutions.com/howmuch.html

Lastly, although I can't find a statistic on, you have to think the more miles you drive the higher the risk of dying/getting hurt in a car accident.

People often don't have the upfront money to change their situation. It really doesn't matter the final cost, if you can't afford one of the options. You do what you can do.

> Really? That's 460 hours per year, spent sitting on your ass in traffic. If you worked hourly at $20/hr, that's over $9000/year.

Why are you assuming that he'd have been paid for that time if he hadn't been commuting?

And, if he had, he'd have been taxed on it. Assuming that it's additional work time, he'd be paying at his marginal rate.

> The equivalent of thirty days of your life not spent with family, training for marathons, writing code, building furniture. What would you give for an extra month of your own time each year?

That's probably closer to the truth.

I agree; it really depends on the individual situation. Most of the hourly folks I know who are commuting long distances are in the 30-45 dollar/hour range. Sometimes you have flexible hours, sometimes not. Other times you can freelance. Other times, those extra hours can save you money on childcare, parking, cooking, housecare... there are many factors. I chose $20 as a reasonable example that fits some real-world people.