How Much Is It Going To Cost Me To Commute From Here?
Warren County is blessed with great access to Cincinnati and Dayton. I75 connects Cincinnati and Dayton on the west side of the county and I71 runs north/south on the east side of the county connecting to Cincinnati, and SR48 adds to the ease of commute along with Rt 42 down the middle.
Yet some people might think Lebanon and surrounding areas are "too far out". Downtown Lebanon to downtown Cincinnati for instance is approximately 30 miles, and depending on traffic that commute will take you 30-60 minutes typically. When you hear about some of the commutes across the country, we're pretty fortunate here.
But that "too far out" perception might be causing some home buyers to miscalculate on their home purchase. Gas costs in particular might be clouding judgment. Everyone feels the pain weekly as they stand at the pump and watch the meter spin wildly. On the other hand, the mortgage check only gets cut once a month and many of us are probably on autopay, so the pain factor just may not be there. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
So what can happen from this? We may let the immediate and frequent pain influence our decision and lose the big picture of home ownership. In our county, homes closer to Cincinnati typically cost more than homes farther out. For instance, a typical Mason home usually costs tens of thousands of dollars more than the equivalent home in Lebanon. Both area offer great quality of life, and the physical distance is less than 10 miles.
What's your cost differential for gasoline to live in Lebanon vs. Mason if you're commuting to Cincinnati? Probably not much more than $1000 ANNUALLY, and depending on what you're driving considerably less. So ultimately, gasoline costs probably shouldn't be the primary driver in choosing your home. You may actually SAVE more overall by SPENDING more on gas for a longer commute. Of course your time has value too, so you'll have to factor that in also.
Just to help you calculate your annual gasoline consumption costs, we've constructed tables for each vehicle average MPG (miles per gallon) in 5 MPG increments starting at 15 MPG and ending at 40 MPG. The left column is one way miles of commute. We've used gas prices at .25 increments from $3 to $4. We assume 250 days of commute a year (5 days x 50 weeks) and assume you have a minimum of two weeks vacation.
The formula for these tables is:
Annual Cost = ((# Miles traveled each way x 2)/Vehicle MPG) * Gas Cost * 250
Find the table that most closely approximates your car's MPG, find your one way commuting miles on the left, then slide over to the gas cost column to determine your annual gas cost. Obviously gas costs vary, so this table provides an annual approximation only for your commute costs. We hope this information helps you make the best possible choice for your Warren County home purchase!
Serving Warren County's residential real estate needs,
Liz and Bill aka BLiz
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