Would you pay £300 a month to walk to work?

[minkymu]

Aware this is a very London question, but how much would you pay per month to avoid getting the tube to work?

There’s a flat come up to rent that’s a 15 minute walk to work. Currently we live 40 minutes on the tube/walk to work.

Rent on current place is £1,800 a month. Rent on potential flat is £2,300 a month.

We are in the office 4-5 days a week so we spend £200 a month on tube fares. So current rent & transport costs mean the rent is really £2,000.

Would you pay the extra £300 a month to be closer to work and avoid the tube?

For what it’s worth we can easily afford the difference but it’s obviously still £3,600 a year that could be in the bank or a holiday.

Yep. Walking to work in London is fantastic.

100%
Think about the time saved too

Although - is the property better/worse/same?

Yes definately. Like a PP said, walking around london is great.

Get yourself some headphones and podcasts/audio books and you'll be fine.

Yes I absolutely would and when I lived in London I did pay more to rent a flat that was a 30 minute walk to work. You do need to factor in that you will still have some transport costs and you'll use the tube/buses for not going to works

Definitely.

I love walking in London so I'd pay that. The time saved would be amazing too.

Yes. We bought a house within walking distance of our offices. We still use public transport at weekends and evenings for social reasons but never travel during rush hour. When it's busy at weekends I am so grateful I am not having to do that journey every weekday. Life is also just more interesting being in the thick of things.

No brainer, I would do it. With all the extra exercise you may be able to save money on gym fees.

Yes in your circumstances I would

I could only walk to work if I left the house at 5am and became an athlete. But I'm not in London. If you like the house, the area and think you will feel the benefit then do it.

Think of all the tube strikes etc, wouldn't affect you at all!

OP, £300 about the maximum I'd pay for walking distance. I'd be wary of the rent rising, or my job changing, making it less attractive in future.

Unless it's, say a flat in Canary Wharf, with many other employers within striking distance, that makes more sense.

No issue however if you know it's going to be short-term! Otherwise moving is expensive. But that's just me.

Yes. They say time is money - you're saving 50 mins of walking time a day - that's over 4 hours a week, every week. No brainier.

I would in a heartbeat. DH and I did this before DC and lived in Bloomsbury for a couple of years, it was such a great experience and really once in a life time for us. We’ve been out in zone 6 for over a decade now and I still miss that tiny flat and its location!

Definitely

Yes. That scenario is a no brainer for me especially if you can afford it.

its lovely getting home “early” especially in summer

40 minutes or 15 minutes? That's a saving of 25 minutes each way every day.

How much is your time worth to you?

I absolutely love walking in London. I don’t live there but I get off the tube a few stops from my usual stop and walk the rest of it. So to your question, I absolutely would do that.

Saving 25 minutes each way each is 100 minutes in total a day. Roughly 20 working days a month so 2000 minutes a month. That’s 33 hours. So going for it means that you value your time at about £9 per hour. How much do you earn per hour?

Of course that assumes that the walk itself has no value. Personally I choose to walk for 30 mins a day anyway. If you also do then you are saving 160 mins per day, 3200 minutes a month or 53 hours. Which makes it £6 per hour.

Nope- against the grain, I don’t want to be closer to my London’s job- that’s work, home is home. I’d rather have the money.

Yes. It saves time and it's healthier. I used to live 20 minutes to work and it helped me wake up on the way in. I don't get the same feeling driving.

You are not having to get on a tube (win already!), plus you are saving time, being healthier, etc. Complete no brainer for me.

2 x 50 minutes a day = an extra 1hr 40 mins per day back in your household on work days

4 days a week (min) = 6hrs and 40 mins a week back in your household - for some people that is almost a full working day back per week

Across 46 weeks of the year assuming 6 weeks holiday = that is just under 307 hours or the time equivalent of around 12 full 24 hour days or 38 8 hour working days time equivalent hours of your life back a year.

More if you factor in soneone days you are in work for 5 days.

provided the flat is adequate (big enough, good layout, OUTSIDE space) absolutely yes.

A 15-minute walk, versus an 40-minute tube journey.

Yep, I'd pay the £300 in a heartbeat.