More and more people working in Prague, given how today property prices are rising, begin to think about buying a home outside Prague, for example, in the Central Bohemian region. The main reason is that in the satellite towns of Prague you can buy real estate for a more affordable price. At the same time it is a question of a place that would be acceptable in terms of transport and time it takes to get to work. However, before you decide to take such a step, you must weigh up whether you will not end up spending more money on the road.
Is “excellent transport accessibility to Prague” justified?
Advertisements for many modern residential projects in the Czech Republic sound very attractive: there and “excellent accessibility to Prague”, and “regular bus service to the capital” and so on. True, in reality it may be that the bus stop is 2 kilometers from home (which means a daily 20-minute walk there and as much back). Or the stop is not so far, but the last bus to your place leaves from Prague at 16.00 (which does not correspond to the standard working day in Prague offices). Of course there is also an option to get to work by car. It will be more expensive, but more comfortable.
You can calculate the average expenses for traveling by the following example. Initial data – there is a dwelling for 30 km from Prague, the public transport at the same time has not too convenient schedule. If there was a proper bus, the way to work would cost you 40 CZK there and 40 CZK back, the total cost is 80 CZK. So the decision was made to drive. If we take a medium-sized car, it will “eat” 2.50 crowns per kilometer, so it will cost 150 kronor for 60 kilometers. The result is that it costs 70 kronor a day more to travel by car than by bus.
In 30 years it is possible to spend 550,000 kronor on the road
At first glance, the numbers do not look so daunting. But it gets much more interesting when we calculate the same expenses for a longer period of time. If you take away all the vacations and holidays, then you work for an average of 46 weeks per year. That is 230 working days. So for the year of going to Prague and back home a person who works in the capital would pay 18,400 CZK if he would travel by bus and 34,500 CZK if he would travel by car. If you assume that a person is supposed to spend at least 30 years of his active life at work, his travel expenses during that time will reach 552,000 kronor! If one were to travel by car, the necessary expenses during that time would amount to one million kronor.
In this case, we are only counting the cost of gasoline. Although, there is also the wear and tear of the car, parking and other circumstances.
Kutna Hora, Mělník, Kladno and other satellite towns of Prague
So, we found out that the money saved on lodging outside of Prague will end up being spent on getting there and back. In addition to the money, it is also the time that will be spent each day on the road (2-3 hours daily). However, many people in Czech Republic live in cities such as Kutna Hora (60 km from Prague), Melnik (30 km), Kladno (30 km) and commute to Prague every day.
According to people who live in satellite towns, it is quite realistic to work in Prague, provided Home office twice a week. However, not every job allows remote mode.
Therefore, one of the most pressing questions of modern metropolitan cities – to live in the city or in the countryside – remains open.