Yes, but so do the costs of the commute. How much wear and tear is that 55min/41 mile commute on the worker's car - or more rarely how much does that train/bus

Yes, but so do the costs of the commute. How much wear and tear is that 55min/41 mile commute on the worker's car - or more rarely how much does that train/bus ticket cost monthly? Some of the cost is always borne by the workers. And most people don't realize just how expensive wear and tear on a car is (or just owning one to get to work independent of wear and tear). Personally, I'd take the wear and tear on the house over time lost commuting.