Return-to-office mandates change more than where you sit. They change what you spend. A July 2026 Washington Post piece, citing Owl Labs research, put an average office day at roughly $55 out of pocket, but averages hide huge differences.
Return to office cost calculator: count what you spend
Add what you spend each office day on getting there, parking and food you would not buy at home. The Owl Labs breakdown was about $15 commuting, $9 parking, $13 breakfast or coffee and $18 lunch, a useful yardstick rather than your number.
Cost of commuting to work per year
Multiply your daily cost by office days a year. Three days a week for 48 weeks is 144 days, so $34 a day comes to $4,896.
How much does going back to the office cost: your time
A 30-minute commute each way is 144 hours a year over those 144 days. That time is not cash leaving your account, so the tool shows it separately.
Commute time value calculator
Multiply commute hours by your hourly pay to see what the time is worth: at $30 an hour, 144 hours is $4,320. Treat it as a way to compare options, not as money you lost.
Is return to office a pay cut
For many people it works like one, because costs rise while pay stays the same. Employer commuter benefits and pre-tax transit programs can soften it, and home-office savings go the other way. Your own numbers settle it.
Sources: Owl Labs research as reported by The Washington Post (July 7, 2026).