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Drive until you qualify: a cheaper home farther out vs. the cost of the commute

Updated November 13, 2026 · 353 words

"Drive until you qualify" is how many Metro Vancouver families find a home they can afford. A townhouse in Langley or Maple Ridge can cost hundreds of thousands less than a similar one in Burnaby or Vancouver. But the savings come with a longer commute, paid in fuel, wear on the car, and hours of your life.

This guide puts numbers on that trade for a hypothetical household choosing between a $1.25 million townhouse close in and a $950,000 one farther out.

Highway Road
Every extra kilometre between home and work is paid for twice: in money and in time.

The money side

With 20% down and a 4.5% mortgage over 25 years, the $300,000 price gap cuts the mortgage payment by about $1,328 a month.

Bar chart comparing a $1,328 monthly mortgage saving with $575 a month of extra driving cost at 50 km a day and $0.60 a km, and a $200 extra transit pass
On money alone, moving farther out saves this household about $750 a month if they drive.
Monthly Amount
Mortgage saved (80% of $300,000) $1,328
Extra driving: 50 km a day, 230 days, $0.60 a km -$575
Net saving if driving $753
Net saving with a $200 transit pass instead $1,128

The $0.60 a kilometre covers fuel, maintenance, tires, and the extra depreciation of a car driven more. If the move means buying a second car, add that too.

The time side

Twenty-five extra kilometres each way in Metro Vancouver traffic is about 25 minutes, or about 192 hours a year over 230 workdays.

Bar chart of the monthly gain from moving farther out after valuing 192 extra hours a year: $753 if time is worth nothing, $594 at $10 an hour, $434 at $20, $274 at $30 and $114 at $40
Even valuing time at $40 an hour, the cheaper home still comes out slightly ahead here.

The time cost isn't just a number. It's 192 hours a year not spent with kids, sleeping, or exercising. People who move for a cheaper home often underestimate how much the commute will bother them.

Over ten years

Line chart of cumulative cash saved over ten years: about $90,400 if driving and $135,400 if taking transit
Over ten years the cash savings are large, and they keep compounding if invested.
Roads Highway
Commute times on the region's main corridors vary widely by time of day.

Making the call

  1. Time the real commute at your actual start time, both ways, for a week before you buy.
  2. Check transit. A home within walking distance of a SkyTrain or West Coast Express station changes the numbers.
  3. Compare like with like. Same size, age, and strata fee, so the price gap is really about location.
  4. Think about schools and family. These often matter more than the money.

EstateBlock's guide to commuting to Vancouver compares commute times and home prices across the region's suburbs.

Sources and further reading

Hypothetical figures. General information only, not financial advice.

Photos (CC0): Highway Road by Agnieszka Bladzik; Roads Highway by Matthew Henry.