Work From Home Savings Calculator
Working from home quietly removes a set of everyday costs that come with going into a workplace, and they add up faster than most people expect. The two biggest are commuting and food: the fuel, fares, parking and tolls of getting to an office, and the bought lunches, coffees and snacks that go with being there. This calculator estimates what you keep by staying home. Enter your typical daily commute cost, your typical daily spend on meals and coffee away from home, and the number of days each month you work remotely instead of commuting. The tool adds your daily commute and meal costs into a single daily saving, then multiplies by your remote days to show your estimated monthly saving. Every input is editable because these figures vary enormously by city, commute mode and personal habits, so you can model your own situation or test what an extra remote day a week would save. The result is a gross saving on commute and meal costs; it does not subtract any extra home running costs such as heating or electricity. Every figure is computed deterministically from the formula shown below, with a worked example that reconciles exactly to the calculator.
Monthly savings equal your daily commute plus meal cost, times the days you work from home: (commute + meal) x remote days. Saving $8.50 commute and $12.00 meals across 20 remote days gives a monthly saving of $410.00.
Work from home savings formula
Monthly saving = ( daily commute cost + daily meal cost ) x remote days
daily commute cost = per-day cost of getting to work
daily meal cost = per-day food and coffee spend away from home
remote days = days per month you work from home
Add your daily commute and meal costs into one daily saving, then multiply by the number of days a month you work from home. The result is the gross commute and meal saving.
Worked example
Suppose your commute costs 8.50 dollars a day, you spend 12 dollars a day on meals out, and you work from home 20 days a month.
- Daily saving = 8.50 + 12.00 = $20.50
- Remote days = 20
- Monthly saving = 20.50 x 20 = $410.00
The monthly saving is $410.00. These are the calculator's default inputs, so the result above matches the widget exactly.
Saving by remote days per month
Monthly saving at a 20.50 dollar daily saving.
| Remote days | Monthly saving |
|---|---|
| 8 | $164.00 |
| 12 | $246.00 |
| 16 | $328.00 |
| 20 | $410.00 |
A gross estimate of commute and meal savings; it does not subtract extra home running costs.
Work from home savings calculator: frequently asked questions
What does working from home actually save?
The most direct savings are the costs tied to going into a workplace: commuting (fuel, transit fares, parking, tolls or vehicle wear) and money spent on meals, coffee and snacks bought near the office. This calculator adds your daily commute cost to your daily meal cost, then multiplies by the number of days a month you work from home rather than commute, giving an estimate of what you keep.
How do I work out my daily commute cost?
Add up everything a workday commute costs: fuel or transit fare both ways, parking, tolls and a share of vehicle wear if you drive. Divide a monthly transit pass by the number of commuting days if that is how you pay. Enter the per-day figure here. Because commute costs vary enormously by city and mode, this field is fully editable.
Should I include meal savings?
Include the amount you typically spend on food and drink when working away from home that you would not spend at home: a bought lunch, coffee runs, snacks. If you would eat the same meals regardless of location, set the meal field to zero. The calculator only multiplies the figures you enter, so include what genuinely differs.
What about costs of working from home?
Working from home can add costs too: higher home electricity, heating or cooling, and internet upgrades. This calculator estimates the gross commute and meal savings, not a net figure. If you want a net number, subtract your estimated extra home running costs from the savings this tool shows.
Is this an exact figure?
No, it is a planning estimate based on the daily costs and remote days you enter. It multiplies your combined daily saving by your remote days each month. Real savings vary with how often you actually commute, fuel and fare prices, and your habits. Use your own typical figures for the most realistic result.
Official sources
- Measurement and arithmetic standards reference: US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). As at 25 June 2026.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 25 June 2026. See our methodology. This is general information, not financial, tax, legal or investment advice.