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Is that job worth the drive?

A job further away can quietly pay less than one closer to home. Petrol, parking, fares and the hours themselves are real money. Here is what the commute actually costs, and what the job would need to pay to make up for it.

The job

Salary a year

KiwiSaver

Student loan

Hours a week

How much do you value the travel time? 50% of your hourly rate

Some people read or switch off on the bus. Some lose the time entirely. Set it honestly.

The commute

How do you get there?

Days a week on site

Minutes each way

Km each way

Parking a day

Cost basis

Running cost only is the extra you actually spend on the drive. Full cost of ownership uses the IRD kilometre rate, which also includes the fixed costs of owning the car.

Vehicle

Two jobs to compare? Work out each job here, then compare the totals. The Offer Comparer puts the two salaries side by side after tax. Jobtracker does this automatically across every job you are chasing, and adds the full after-tax breakdown on each.

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Vehicle running costs from the AA Car Running Cost Report; full cost of ownership uses the IRD Tier 1 kilometre rates for the first 14,000km (the latest published, for 2025/26). Take-home pay uses 2026/27 PAYE, ACC 1.75%, KiwiSaver and student loan at 12% over $24,128. Indicative only, tax code M. Based on 46 working weeks a year. Tax rates verified 22 August 2026; AA running costs verified August 2026.