Yup! I save a lot by riding a bike and using public transit instead of a car. My only expense for transit is $65/month for a bus pass. Literally have no car payment, no mechanic fees, no oil changes, no insurance, nothing. And I still haven’t had any need to call an Uber yet.
It only takes me 10 minutes to get to work by bus or bike from my new apartment. If I need to buy groceries, I just hop on the bus to the nearest Target.
What’s funny is that I’m not even in NYC/SF/Boston/Seattle. I’m in a suburb of Madison, WI where you wouldn’t expect fast public transit. But the public transit is surprisingly good here, on par with what I experienced when I lived in the Bay Area (although tbf, Bay Area public transit is crappy compared to NYC or Boston…but I digress). And I get to enjoy low CoL in a city with lots of nature!
I’ve always wanted to live in a place that feels like an old-world rural village next to a beautiful lake where kids walk to school and the milkman delivers milk on a bicycle to houses that look like cute little cottages. And this is the closest I’m gonna get.
It really is a win-win, since it’s better for the environment, my own health (biking=exercise), and my future med school loans! Feels good to put away more $$ for medical school