In car-reliant Phoenix — where nearly 93% of commuters drive to work — the cost of getting behind the wheel is taking a serious bite out of renters’ budgets. According to the latest Point2Homes analysis, the annual cost of a car commute in Phoenix adds up to more than $7,000, while public transit costs just $768. For a renter household with a median income of $55,306 per year, switching to public transportation could result in savings of more than $6,300 annually — the equivalent of more than a month’s worth of earnings. 

While driving does save time — around 41 minutes per day, or 7 full days per year — the tradeoff for many is a significant chunk of their budget. 

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Here are some of the highlights: 

  • In Phoenix, renters save nearly twice as much (11%) of their income compared to owners (who save just 6%) when switching to public transportation. 
  • Despite the potential for major savings, limited transit infrastructure helps explain why only 2.5% of all Phoenix commuters — and 3.4% of renters — use public transportation. 
  • Phoenix renters are among the most car-dependent in the nation, with 87.9% having access to a vehicle and 77.2% commuting by car. 
  • In the nation’s 30 largest cities, the average car commuter spends over $7,000 more annually than someone using public transit — nearly 15% of a renter’s median income. 

For commuters looking to save time, there are two possible scenarios: Either they live in a city where car commutes are short compared to other large cities or the difference between taking the car and taking the bus is so big that they have no choice but drive to work to make it work.

In the first scenario, commuters in five of the 30 largest cities are the luckiest, with average daily commutes just under 50 minutes. Despite living in big urban hubs, car commuters in Memphis, TN; Columbus, OH; Louisville, KY; El Paso, TX; and Oklahoma City, OK spend half the time behind the wheel compared to NYC commuters. What’s more, taking the bus would add at least 30 minutes to the time they spend in traffic every day. Granted, they would save a lot of money, but saving time is also a big plus.

In the second scenario, it’s commuters from two cities who would feel the biggest difference. Public transit commuters in Las Vegas and San Jose, CA, would spend almost one hour more in traffic, every day, if they gave up their cars. In El Paso, TX; Fort Worth, TX; San Antonio; Phoenix; and Detroit, they would be forced to endure the mind-numbing traffic conditions for an extra 40 to 50 minutes. This adds up quite fast.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are a few large cities where taking the car would greatly increase commute costs without offering a huge time advantage in exchange: In Washington, D.C. and Boston, commuters would have to spend around $8,000 more to commute by car, but would only save around 20 minutes per day. With daily savings of around 25 minutes, commuters in Charlotte, NC; New York City; Philadelphia; and San Francisco wouldn’t be much better off.