About 5 months ago I came across an interesting feature that I just had to add to my website; i.e., the Cost of Commuting Calculator.  Five years ago I would never have given this a thought to be used here in Reno.  Los Angeles, sure.  Also San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Boston, and a host of other cities across the country.

However, as the price of gas climbs and I see that the U.S. auto manufacturers are still behind the 8 ball when it comes to creating energy efficient autos for the U.S. market, I feel this is more important than ever.

This calculator will determine your total monthly payment for a home and a commute in two different scenarios.  Scenario A you find a home here in Reno that is 3,000 sq. ft. with multiple bedrooms and baths for under $300k, however it’s a 30-mile drive to work one way.  Scenario B finds a home for $400k, however your commute is 5 miles one way.  You drop in the applicable figures including the amount of the mortgage, the interest rate, what your car is worth, what your mileage is, and what you are paying per gallon for gas, and it comes up with 2 figures.  Surprisingly enough, in many instances, the more expensive home that is closer to work is a far better deal than the one located on the outskirts of town!  Of course, you don’t need to live in Reno to use this calculator.  It is generic and you can compute these figures in any area of the country.

If you are trying to figure out these statistics for yourself as you are moving to Reno, refer to the Cost of Gas link on the left-hand navigation bar of my website.  This will give you the cost of gas up-to-the-minute from the least expensive on up in Reno/Sparks, and it will give you the name of the station and the address. 

Check it out!