Commuting time versus rent: how to calculate your new place to live
Commuter guide, part 3
What does the longer route to work really cost?
Rent, travel, lifetime
The rent is in the listing, the commuting time is not. If you compare two flats, put both into the same calculation: rent and service charges, monthly travel costs and the time the journey takes. An example: 40 minutes more per journey adds up to almost 300 hours a year over 220 working days – more than seven working weeks.
Whether the cheaper flat is still worthwhile depends on how you commute: on the train you can read or work, behind the wheel you cannot. Days working from home also change the calculation. Once the decision is made, we plan the move: at Beste Umzug Unternehmen you receive a fixed price after the survey. More about the process under Private move.
The sums add up? Then we plan the move
Fixed price after a survey – as plannable as the rent
Have you compared rent, travel costs and commuting time and made your decision? Then all that is missing is the move. Call us on 01625978461. After the survey we give you a fixed price – so the move is also one of the costs you know in advance.
Offers available individually, depending on effort, scheduling and the scope of services required.
How we make your move plannable
A fixed figure for your calculation
If you compare flats by rent and commuting time, you also need a fixed figure for the move. That is why we survey your flat and then give you a fixed price for the agreed services. We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21, Moabit) and drive within the city, to the surrounding area and nationwide. Your belongings are covered by liability under the German Commercial Code (HGB); we can arrange additional insurance on request.
Site survey
Packing service
Assembly service
Furniture transport
What belongs in your flat calculation
A fair comparison of two flats needs more than the basic rent. Write down these items for both addresses before you decide.
Rent including bills
Travel costs
Commuting time
Home-office days
Everyday trips
Moving costs
Part load for the small move
If you are only moving a few pieces of furniture and boxes, you save with a part load (Beiladung): your belongings travel with other jobs. Because the tour has several stops, there is a time window – plan a flexible working day for it.
Time,
money, everyday life – three questions before moving
For commuters, choosing where to live is a calculation with three variables: what does the flat cost, what does the journey cost, and how much time is left over? If you write all three down for each flat, you no longer decide on gut feeling. If a new job takes you to another city, the long-distance move also belongs in the calculation – more on this under Long-distance moves.
Drawing up the calculation
Furniture and scope
Costs and timing
Frequently asked questions about commuting time, rent and moving
Time is a cost too: calculating commuting time correctly
Alongside a full-time job, there is little time left to compare two flats thoroughly. A simple calculation helps: minutes per journey times two times working days per year. With 220 working days, 30 minutes per journey becomes 220 hours, and 70 minutes more than 500 hours. Test the travel time at the real time of day, not according to the app at the weekend.
Then come the costs: ticket or fuel, parking, possibly a second car. Deduct the tax relief – since 2026, €0.38 applies per kilometre of one-way distance from the first kilometre (§ 9 EStG). The allowance reduces your tax but rarely covers the real travel costs.
Rent, commuting time, everyday life: making the decision
Put the rent including bills, travel costs and hours for each flat side by side. It often turns out that the lower rent is partly eaten up by travel costs, and the time is not replaced. Conversely, a flat further away can be a good fit if you often work from home or can work on the train.
Do not forget the trips besides work: nursery, shopping, friends. And include the move as a one-off item – with a fixed price after a survey you know it in advance. More on tax when changing jobs in the article Moving costs when changing jobs.
Price overview: from a studio flat to a villa
- Small moves: 1-room flat from €354
- Medium moves: 2-room flat from €579, 3-room flat from €905
- Large moves: 4-room flat from €1,289
- Very large moves: house/villa with an individual quote
- Long distances: long-distance moves from €3.90/km
Let us discuss your case during a free survey.
What the moving price is made up of
To understand the costs, it helps to look at volume, distance (from €3.90/km), floor and lift. A no-parking zone also plays a role. With a part load costs can be shared.
Services that save you time
Services that save you time
If you have a long commute, you have little time in the evening – you can add these services individually.
- Company relocation: minimal downtime, maximum efficiency for your business.
- Private move: your move to a new home - stress-free and reliable.
- House clearance: household clearances and decluttering from a single source.
- Move with assembly: from dismantling to reassembly - everything from a single source.
- Furniture transport: bulky furniture? No problem for our team.
- Part load: you share the cargo space and save real money.
From Berlin to the surrounding area and nationwide
We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and drive within the city, to the surrounding area and nationwide. For longer distances – for example to a new place of work – read more under Long-distance moves; you will find destinations with their own page in the locations overview.
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