Here's an additional data point. My 2009 transportation costs in St. Louis, MO.
($220 car payment * 12) + (278.04 gallons of gas * $2.25 avg/gallon) + ~$175 property taxes + ($5 daily parking * 20 working days/month * 12) + (~$90 insurance/month * 12) = ~$5720
This excludes licensing costs and parking tickets, which probably add another ~$200. It also excludes maintenance. For example, new tires added another ~$400 this year. And you've got to change your oil.
I commute only 6 miles each way, drive a cheap, fuel efficient car, do some of my own maintenance, and live in an area with low tax and gas rates, so I don't think it would be hard to spend at least twice what I do.
If you commute 6 miles a way, 2 ways a workday, 20 workdays a month for 12 monthes a year on 278.04 gallons of gas, you're getting 10.35 mpg. This is not good mileage. I suppose it's more likely that your daily commute is a small fraction of your total travel.
For the opposite extreme, I live in Manhattan, where $1248/y gets me unlimited subway and bus. Add a few hundred for visiting friends and family scattered around the country. Yes, I'm paying about $30k/y for a (rather nice) one bedroom apartment, but that's my only big expense.
> I commute only 6 miles each way, drive a cheap, fuel efficient car, do some of my own maintenance, and live in an area with low tax and gas rates, so I don't think it would be hard to spend at least twice what I do.
Your fuel costs are less than $700/year. Your car cost is $2650/year.
It's easy to spend a lot of money on a car, but it's rarely necessary to do so.
($220 car payment * 12) + (278.04 gallons of gas * $2.25 avg/gallon) + ~$175 property taxes + ($5 daily parking * 20 working days/month * 12) + (~$90 insurance/month * 12) = ~$5720
This excludes licensing costs and parking tickets, which probably add another ~$200. It also excludes maintenance. For example, new tires added another ~$400 this year. And you've got to change your oil.
I commute only 6 miles each way, drive a cheap, fuel efficient car, do some of my own maintenance, and live in an area with low tax and gas rates, so I don't think it would be hard to spend at least twice what I do.
Edit: added car insurance.