HOUSTON – The cost of commuting is something most Houstonians know about all too well.
Whether you're driving from The Woodlands to Pearland, Baytown to Katy, or anywhere in between, our city is spread out over hundreds of miles of highways.
Educateddriver.org did a study to see how much money the average commuter would spend going to and from work in their lifetime.
For the study, the site assumed the average person starts working full-time at 18 years old and the average retirement age is 63 in the United States. That's 45 years of working.
Each year, the site assumed people work 250 days, which adds up to 11,250 working days in a career.
The site then used data from the U.S. Census Bureau on average daily round-trip commute distances, as well as data from AAA on the total cost per mile of operating a vehicle (60.8 cents per mile for the average sedan when gas, insurance and maintenance costs are considered).
Houston is one of the most expensive cities in which to commute, costing about $175,000 over a lifetime. That cost increases to about $212,000 if you drive an SUV. Dallas commuters can expect to pay about the same.
In another report, the site revealed the average American will spend about 408 days of their life commuting.
The below map is interactive. Click on a city to see how much a lifetime of commuting would cost.