The £600 Commute…

For most of us, the return-to-office debate boils down to whether the train’s on strike or if Zoom feels bearable that morning. But spare a thought for Aberdeenshire, where simply getting to work swallows almost £50 a month in petrol — the highest average in the UK.

That figure, revealed in a new analysis of ONS and FuelMap data by WhatPrice.co.uk, translates to nearly £600 a year just to reach your desk. With the longest average drive to work (17.5km each way) and pump prices hovering around 132p a litre, the north-east of Scotland has the dubious honour of Britain’s priciest commute.

Braintree in Essex and rural Shropshire aren’t far behind, both nudging the £50 mark. In fact, the East of England emerges as the most punishing region overall, with workers paying an average £41 a month in petrol just for the privilege of clocking in. Central Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire and King’s Lynn also feature high on the list.

At the other end of the spectrum sit urban centres like Aberdeen, Cardiff, Hull and Belfast, where shorter, denser commutes keep fuel costs significantly lower. London, despite its sky-high everything else, sits near the bottom of the table: petrol bills average just £27.73 a month, thanks to relatively short driving distances and the fact that most Londoners avoid driving altogether.

The big picture

The top 10 most expensive commutes are almost all rural or semi-rural, reflecting both geography (longer drives to reach work) and patchy transport infrastructure. Shropshire’s 16km average drive, for example, reflects the reality of working in a county with plenty of farmland and few train lines.

David Holmes, CEO of WhatPrice.co.uk, points out that while hybrid working has cushioned the blow, the gradual “back to the office” push is making those journeys bite again. “For workers in Aberdeenshire, they face up to £600 being spent just to get to their desks,” he says. “Office workers may see this as a sign to opt for something more remote and less expensive.”

Britain’s commuting divide

  • Most expensive area: Aberdeenshire — £49.98/month

  • Most expensive region: East of England — £41.71/month

  • Cheapest major city: Belfast — £17.77/month

  • London range: £20 in Westminster up to £37 in Havering

The figures underline an uncomfortable truth: commuting in the UK is as much about postcode as petrol prices. Rural workers are effectively subsidising their distance from urban job hubs, while city dwellers pay in time rather than petrol — longer queues, crowded trains, and higher rents closer to work.

Hybrid work, car shares and the perennial “maybe I should just get a bike” remain the most obvious solutions. But as employers nudge staff back into offices, the costs of simply showing up are once again in sharp focus.