'It costs me $7,820 a year to come back': Remote worker adds up the total cost of returning to the office 2 days/week, is baffled by the number

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 30, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

How much would it truly cost for you to return to the office?

There is a hidden cost to everything, even commuting to an office, as proved by this remote work Reddit post. The realities of jobs are sometimes far different from the fantasies we are fed when we're signing up. Things also have a way of changing over time, and the way your job changes can directly affect how much you enjoy it or how much you feel it adds to your life. On the other hand, it's a tough job market out there, and if you have a job you can semi-tolerate and it pays you a living wage, you should probably hold onto it with everything you've got. Nobody wants to feel undervalued, and nobody wants to be fighting for what's right in the face of something immovable. That's what this person was up against, and they wondered if anyone else shared their frustrations. Returning to the office is no joke, and it's starting to happen in waves. Even folks who have worked remotely for years and years are starting to inch their way back to in-person work. It's a mixed bag for many. Some think that it's worth it to engender the kind of connection and collaboration that can come from working in an office, while others bemoan the loss of flexibility. But what about the real, material cost of it? Should that be a factor in decisions to return to the office? This worker thought so. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10643213312
    via Unsplash+ (Mohamed hamdi)

    A man's hands at a desk writing something in a notebook

  • My company calls it just two days a week. I did the math. It costs me $7,820 a year to come back.

    My wife and I were fighting about whether I should just quit. She said I was being dramatic. I said fine, I will literally write down every dollar and we'll see who's dramatic. I thought I'd feel vindicated. I sat at the kitchen table at midnight with cold coffee and could not stop looking at the total.
    via OkCan8173
  • Thirty one miles each way down the 5. Door to door, hour and fifteen each way on a good day, two and change when the freeway becomes a parking lot. Two days a week sounds like nothing. Then you add gas, the dog walker, parking at $16 a day, lunches I am not packing, the coffee I do not make at home, clothes I had to buy again after
    via OkCan8173
  • three years in sweatpants and a hoodie I got free at a conference. Six thousand two hundred miles a year of driving I had eliminated, give or take. At 72.5 cents a mile all in, that is $4,495 right there. The rest piles on to $7,820 before I even clock in.
    via OkCan8173
  • Then the hours. Over nine hours in the car each week, easy. Another four figures of my life I do not get back. The guy who announced this had his camera off half the call, probably on a boat somewhere. He kept saying collaboration. The same executives who pocketed the office savings now want me to pay to sit in a worse chair and listen to some guy say collaboration with his camera off.
    via OkCan8173
  • I make $68K. No raise in two years. Rent went up $800 last renewal. I keep staring at the number. $7,820 out of pocket. It is not even close.
    via OkCan8173

  • Sometimes you have to really sit down and crunch the numbers to understand the impact of something. You can live in the abstract all day long, but when you actually look at the numbers, a clearer picture starts to appear. That's what this worker did to prove a point to his partner. There is definitely a cost to returning to in-person work, but just how bad is it? Keep scrolling to read this worker's take on it and see if you agree with his assessment.

  • Commenters gave their advice and opinions.

    nateairulla Consider yourself blessed my role went from fully remote to 3x a week in office
    via nateairulla
  • Cheezburger Image 10643212800
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    A man crunches numbers at his desk at home

  • Juzturtle That was the normal, except it was 5days typically in the office or in the job in general. Unfortunately I'd have to say, either move closer or find a new job before you quit. But know that legit remote work jobs are hard to come by, and most employers still want you in the office for "x" amount of hours per week or month.
    via Juzturtle
  • Don't rush into a decision and figure out what works for you and your family
    via Juzturtle
  • Jdiggiry657 Sounds like it will cost you $68k to quit and maybe a wife. $8k seems like the better deal.
    via Jdiggiry657
  • electrowiz64 I get the frustration. But the job market is REALLY bad right now, DO NOT QUIT, just start looking. Because you could be waiting months or years. ESPECIALLY since companies are looking down on employees with job gaps
    via electrowiz64
  • CuriousPenguinSocks I commuted 3 hours every day for a few years. I didn't realize the toll it took on me till I no longer did that commute. I would say if there is a light rail station you can park at and then take that in the rest of the way, then it's a little better. I did the express bus, same amount of time to do that as it was to drive but at least I could relax some.
    via CuriousPenguinSocks
  • other_view12 So your employer gave you a perk, that you like and puts money in your pocket. Nice. Now your employer has removed that perk and you want to quit. Fine you do you, but you are throwing a hissy fit. You got lucky to work from home. Going to work is normal. Now you feel entitled. That's fine, quite your job, find a new work from home position.
    via other_view12
  • However, if that becomes hard, and your life, and your wife's life is impacted by that. Then that is 100% on you and your decision. If your wife gets stressed, all you can do is apologize for putter her into that position.
    via other_view12
  • azuregiraffe2 You can't charge your work for not dressing like a slob unless you're going everywhere in sweatpants
    via azuregiraffe2
  • Arob_1000 Seemed reasonable until I saw the salary, not worth it if you have another option and/or get a big raise
    via Arob_1000
  • Grumpy_Troll Yeah, I would not want to commute an hour and 15 each way for a $68k job. But you also can't quit with nothing else lined up. So get your resume out there and find something better first. Then tell them you are quitting due to the return to office policy.
    via Grumpy_Troll
  • hopeful-Xplorer Find a more chill job close to home or something fully remote. It's reasonable to factor these things in - will you really walk the dog yourself and make lunch if you had more time? Maybe yes, maybe no, but be honest with yourself before you accept a lower paying job. You're still going to need to figure out making a living and supporting your family, obviously.
    via hopeful-Xplorer
  • jorhey14 68k is not enough to make it work start looking for other places.
    via jorhey14
  • MC-HAMMERTIME89 Don't listen to all these "you're being dramatic" corporate drones. If it's so taxing to you to the point where you're doing a fully detailed cost benefit analysis, then the real cost is the mental toll you're taking on dealing with the commute and working in office. The dollar figure is just proving a point.
    via MC-HAMMERTIME89
  • I wouldn't outright quit, go find a new position that's fully remote then ditch the C py job and move on.
    via MC-HAMMERTIME89
  • ColdOpening2892 Did you take the job as a remote only ot not? Because if it wasn't remote originally you could also frame it as you saved 7820 for two years.
    via ColdOpening2892
  • Maximum_Technology67 I drive 70 miles a day for my job. Where I live it makes more sense for me to live where I do and work where I do. It's a Low cost area and the commute takes me a total of just over an hour a day.
    via Maximum_Technology67
  • If you can find a better paying job with less commute then quit and do it. If not then s k it up and drive a couple days until you find something else that makes better sense. You're crying to the internet about a simple choice that's your choice to make and doesn't make the company a bad company just that you don't like their decisions.
    via Maximum_Technology67

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salary employment issues commute return to office remote remote work remote job hybrid employment
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