Calculate your real hourly wage including commute, lunch, overtime, and prep time
Official rate = monthly salary / work hours. Real rate adds commute, lunch, overtime, and prep time — essentially all time spent 'for work'. It's typically 60-75% of the official rate.
Legally no, but practically yes — it's time spent for work. Remote work can boost your real rate by 20%+ just by eliminating commute.
Reduce overtime, work from home, shorten commute (move closer or switch jobs), and use lunch breaks productively. Time efficiency matters as much as salary raises.
Divide any purchase price by your real hourly rate to see how many hours of your life it costs. A $150 purchase at $15/hr = 10 hours = a full work day.
Calculate your true hourly wage by dividing your net income by ALL time spent for work — not just work hours, but commute, lunch, overtime, and prep time too. See what your time is really worth.