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Work from home vs office
Put your office days, miles, cost per mile, parking and home cost in: office $372.00 a month vs $24.00 at home.
★ COMPARISONS · COMMUTE · HOME VS OFFICE
Work From Home vs Office: $372.00 vs $24.00 a Month
On the defaults — 3 office days a week, a 30-mile round trip at $0.70 a mile, $10.00 parking, and $3.00 a day working from home — the office costs $372.00 a month against $24.00 at home, so the office costs $348.00 more. This is the OFFICE-vs-HOME version — commuting costs against home-office costs — the drive-vs-public-transit-commute page is the COMMUTE version — driving against public transit for the same trip; the grocery-delivery-vs-in-store page is the DELIVERY version — delivery extras against driving extras; and the meal-kit-vs-groceries page is the FOOD version — meal kits against grocery shopping, cost per serving.
What does the office costing $348.00 more mean?
It means that on a hybrid week — 3 office days and 2 home days — commuting costs $348.00 more a month than staying home: the office side is 3 × 4 × $31.00, which is $372.00, while the home side is 2 × 4 × $3.00, which is $24.00. The $31.00 office day is the whole story in miniature — 30 miles at $0.70 a mile is $21.00 of driving, plus $10.00 of parking, and the driving alone nearly matches the whole month of home days. The part people get wrong is comparing the parking alone against the home cost: parking is $10.00 a day, but driving adds $21.00, and together they are $31.00 a day, not $10.00.
Three things to check before you trust the number
Is $0.70 a mile right for your car? The driving rate covers fuel, wear and depreciation, not just petrol, and it moves the office total steadily: the 10-mile branch shows an office cost of $204.00, while the 50-mile branch shows $540.00, so a 20-mile error in the round trip moves the monthly office cost by $168.00. Measure the real round trip, not the one-way distance you remember.
Is parking really $10.00 a day? Parking is the swing input on the office side after mileage: the no-parking branch shows an office cost of $252.00, while the $20.00-parking branch shows $492.00, so a $10.00 parking error moves the month by $120.00. If parking is employer-paid, set it to $0 — the office side still costs $252.00 on the defaults, because driving alone beats the home side.
What is your time worth? This page compares money only, and the office side takes your time while home gives it back: 3 office days at an hour of commuting each are 12 hours a month. If 12 hours of your time are worth more than $348.00 to you, the office side loses by even more than the money shows — and if you love the office, that time may be worth paying for. Price your time separately before making the final call.
Worked example
On the defaults: 3 office days a week, 30 round-trip miles, $0.70 a mile, $10.00 parking, $3.00 a day at home.
- Cost per office day: 30 × $0.70 + $10.00 is $31.00.
- Office cost a month: 3 × 4 × $31.00 is $372.00.
- WFH cost a month: 2 × 4 × $3.00 is $24.00.
- Difference: $372.00 − $24.00 is $348.00, so the office costs $348.00 more.
And the other way: the office days behind a $372.00 office cost a month are 3 days, the daily parking behind a $372.00 office cost a month is $10.00, and the round-trip miles behind a $372.00 office cost a month are 30 miles.
Every branch, checked
- 1 office day a week, same trip and costs: 1 office day a week, same trip and costs: Office $124.00 vs WFH $48.00 — office costs $76.00 more.
- 5 office days a week, same trip and costs: 5 office days a week, same trip and costs: Office $620.00 vs WFH $0.00 — office costs $620.00 more.
- 10 round-trip miles, 3 office days: 10 round-trip miles, 3 office days: Office $204.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $180.00 more.
- 50 round-trip miles, 3 office days: 50 round-trip miles, 3 office days: Office $540.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $516.00 more.
- No parking, 3 office days at 30 miles: No parking, 3 office days at 30 miles: Office $252.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $228.00 more.
- $20.00 parking, 3 office days at 30 miles: $20.00 parking, 3 office days at 30 miles: Office $492.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $468.00 more.
The reverses, worked backwards
- Office days behind $372.00 office cost a month: 3 office days — at 3 office days the figures are Office $372.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $348.00 more.; at the lower neighbor the figures are Office $248.00 vs WFH $36.00 — office costs $212.00 more.; at the upper neighbor the figures are Office $496.00 vs WFH $12.00 — office costs $484.00 more..
- Daily parking behind $372.00 office cost a month: $10.00 parking — at $10.00 parking the figures are Office $372.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $348.00 more.; at the lower neighbor the figures are Office $312.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $288.00 more.; at the upper neighbor the figures are Office $432.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $408.00 more..
- Round-trip miles behind $372.00 office cost a month: 30 miles — at 30 miles the figures are Office $372.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $348.00 more.; at the lower neighbor the figures are Office $330.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $306.00 more.; at the upper neighbor the figures are Office $414.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $390.00 more..
What the defaults assume
The defaults are 3 office days a week, 30 round-trip miles, $0.70 a mile, $10.00 parking and $3.00 a day at home, so the headline is a hybrid worker with a medium commute. The model is two multiplications on a 4-week month: office days times 4 times the per-day office cost, against home days times 4 times the home cost, where home days are 5 minus office days. The office-days reverse is checked at 1 day either side, because 1 day at $31.00 times 4 weeks is $124.00; the parking reverse is checked at $5.00 either side, because $5.00 on 3 days times 4 weeks is $60.00; the miles reverse is checked at 5 miles either side, because 5 miles at $0.70 on 3 days times 4 weeks is $42.00. The model does not include the salary itself, lunch differences, your time, or employer-paid parking and transit passes — add a monthly transit pass divided by office days to the parking figure if you pay one.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per office day | round-trip miles × cost per mile + daily parking | $31.00 — 30 × $0.70 + $10.00. |
| Office cost a month | office days × 4 weeks × cost per office day | $372.00 — 3 × 4 × $31.00. |
| WFH cost a month | home days × 4 weeks × home-office cost a day | $24.00 — 2 × 4 × $3.00. |
| Office extra a month | office cost a month − WFH cost a month | $348.00 — $372.00 − $24.00. |
| Office days behind a target office cost | target office cost ÷ (4 × cost per office day) | 3 days — $372 ÷ (4 × $31.00). |
| Daily parking behind a target office cost | target office cost ÷ (office days × 4) − miles × cost per mile | $10.00 — $372 ÷ (3 × 4) − 30 × $0.70. |
| Round-trip miles behind a target office cost | (target office cost ÷ (office days × 4) − parking) ÷ cost per mile | 30 miles — ($372 ÷ (3 × 4) − $10.00) ÷ $0.70. |
| 1 office day a week, same trip and costs | same model | Office $124.00 vs WFH $48.00 — office costs $76.00 more. |
| 5 office days a week, same trip and costs | same model | Office $620.00 vs WFH $0.00 — office costs $620.00 more. |
| 10 round-trip miles, 3 office days | same model | Office $204.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $180.00 more. |
| 50 round-trip miles, 3 office days | same model | Office $540.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $516.00 more. |
| No parking, 3 office days at 30 miles | same model | Office $252.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $228.00 more. |
| $20.00 parking, 3 office days at 30 miles | same model | Office $492.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $468.00 more. |
| Office days behind $372.00 office cost a month | reverse | 3 office days: Office $372.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $348.00 more. |
| Daily parking behind $372.00 office cost a month | reverse | $10.00 parking: Office $372.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $348.00 more. |
| Round-trip miles behind $372.00 office cost a month | reverse | 30 miles: Office $372.00 vs WFH $24.00 — office costs $348.00 more. |
| 0 office days | same model | Office $0.00 vs WFH $60.00 — WFH costs $60.00 more. |
| Negative office days | same model | Office days a week — 0 to 5. |
| 6 office days (more than a 5-day week) | same model | Office days a week — 0 to 5. |
| Negative round-trip miles | same model | Round-trip miles — 0 or more. |
Who uses this
- A hybrid worker weighing office days — $372.00 against $24.00 a month, with the $31.00 office day as the decision line.
- Someone with a long commute — the 50-mile branch shows an office cost of $540.00, which widens the gap.
- A worker with free parking — the no-parking branch shows an office cost of $252.00, still far above home.
- A buyer checking a commute quote — the reverses give the office days, parking or mileage behind any quoted monthly cost.
Accuracy & limitations
Figures are the model’s own arithmetic on the numbers you type, computed from unrounded values and displayed rounded HALF_UP to 2dp, on a 4-week month. The main limitation is what is left out, not the arithmetic: lunch differences, your time, transit passes and employer-paid parking all move the real comparison, and the $0.70 driving rate is an average, not your car's exact cost. This page is a calculation tool, not employment advice.
Cite this calculator
3 office days with a 30-mile round trip at $0.70 a mile and $10 parking cost $372.00 a month vs $24.00 working from home. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/work-from-home-vs-office/, accessed 28 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much does commuting to the office cost a month?
On the defaults, $372.00: 3 office days a week times 4 weeks times $31.00 a day, where the day is 30 miles at $0.70 a mile plus $10.00 parking.
Is working from home always cheaper?
On money alone, almost always: the home side is $24.00 a month on the defaults against $372.00 for the office. The office side wins only when commuting is free and home costs are unusually high — try 0 office days against a large home cost to see the crossover.
Why 4 weeks a month?
A month averages about 4.33 weeks, but this page uses 4 weeks so the arithmetic stays checkable by hand: office days times 4 times the daily cost. Multiply any monthly figure by 1.08 for a 4.33-week month.
What should I put for cost per mile?
Use $0.70 as a starting average covering fuel, wear and depreciation. If you know your car's real cost — total yearly car costs divided by yearly miles — use that instead.
Does the page include my time?
No — it compares money only. Add your own value of commuting time to the office side before deciding: 3 office days at an hour each are 12 hours a month.
What if I work 5 days in the office?
Set office days to 5: the office cost is $620.00 a month on the defaults and the home cost is $0.00, because there are no home days left.