Put commute time first when choosing where to live, and shorten your one-way commute

Moderate value
Evidence B
Saves time
Disputed
Costs a lot
Takes some hours
No willpower

In plain words

People with longer commutes feel worse about how their lives are going. This loss is not made up for in pay or housing. Cutting 30 minutes from a one-way commute saves 5 hours a week.

Cost: High cost. You may pay higher rent or move to a smaller home. Moving itself also takes time.
What you get: Residents of China spend an average of 50 minutes a day on transportation. Counting only those who traveled that day, it is 1 hour 2 minutes. These are 2024 figures. Data from Germany that followed the same people over a long period show that people with longer commutes have steadily lower subjective well-being (how well they feel their lives are going). And this loss is not compensated in income or housing. A review that pulled together many studies also confirmed that the longer the commute, the less satisfied people are with it, regardless of the mode of transport. Cutting 30 minutes from a one-way commute saves about 5 hours a week.
Notes: Disputed: after pooling several studies, Chatterjee and colleagues pointed out that no stable relationship can yet be seen between commute length and overall life satisfaction. They argue that people can by and large make up for the loss of a long commute with a better job or home. Note also that the transport-activity statistics count all trips, not only commutes. In addition, if you can shift your hours to avoid the rush, the same trip can also be shorter.
Evidence grade: B : Supported by research but without a precise number, or based on small or single studies.
Sources: Stutzer, A., & Frey, B. S. (2008). Stress that doesn't pay: The commuting paradox. Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 110(2), 339–366. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9442.2008.00542.x
Chatterjee, K., et al. (2020). Commuting and wellbeing: A critical overview of the literature with implications for policy and future research. Transport Reviews, 40(1), 5–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/01441647.2019.1649317
国家统计局 (2024). 第三次全国时间利用调查公报（第二号）. https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfb/202410/t20241031_1957216.html

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Don't spend more on a home, car or social circle to “move up a notch among the people around you”

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 4, tip 18. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer