Reasonable math. Personal anecdotal support: Daily commute is 1.5 hours each way by public transport. 75% of that time is useful. Net result is 5 * 2 * 1.5 = 1

Reasonable math. Personal anecdotal support: Daily commute is 1.5 hours each way by public transport. 75% of that time is useful. Net result is 5 * 2 * 1.5 = 15 hours spent sitting on the train each week, of which just(1 - 0.25) * 15 = 3.75 is wasted (mainly in changing from one vehicle to the next). This, superficially, doesn't sound so bad. My employer is understanding so I travel outside rush hour so I always get a seat and can do stuff on my laptop. This means that I arrive at the office late and leave the office late. My colleagues just say that I work in a slightly different time zone. What really kicks hard is that when you're at work you're 1.5 hours from home, the simple stuff - like going to the supermarket or the post office - becomes complicated. I leave before the supermarket opens, and I get home after it closes. Tricky things like being at home in the morning to receive a parcel become really complicated and end up costing much more than half a day. tl;dr the math is good, but the model is too simple. Living a commuting life costs more than you'd calculate.