Workers returning to the office are spending $51 per day on average, according to the State of Hybrid Work 2023 report by Owl Labs. The report also notes that people working from home spend an average of $36 a day and pet owners returning to the office spend an average of $71.

Yahoo Finance’s Pras Subramanian, Josh Schafer, and Alexandra Canal discuss the report’s findings and how much they each spend a day when working from the office. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.

Video Transcript

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: You thought that return to work was bad enough because you were already sort of happy working at home and comfortable and being as productive as you thought. A new study by a company called-- let me get this straight here, video live conference company Owl Labs shows that actually it costs you 51 bucks to return to work, right, because of the costs entailed.

So they break it down as this-- 16 bucks for lunch, 14 for commuting costs, 13 for your breakfast and coffee, and maybe 8 bucks for parking there, 51 bucks a day. So that's what you would-- they're saying that's what you pay on top of what you wouldn't if you stayed at home. So this makes it kind of even doubly worse. Like, is it worth it for you, as an individual, to pay 51 bucks a day on average or so just to come into work when you can work it from home?

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Yeah.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: What do you think?

ALEXANDRA CANAL: And we did a fun little experiment to calculate how much we all pay when we're commuting to work. And for me, I did two different scenarios, because there are some days where I wake up and I have early things, and I just want to take an Uber, so, I take the Uber. Uber cost me 20 bucks. Coffee, I usually stop at Starbucks. I don't do this every day. This is like my bad days. Coffee, average $7. You know, you're getting a cappuccino, anything with a little pumpkin spice.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: A $7 coffee hurts.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: It's going to be-- now, look.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: So much on the right side of that screen just hurts.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: I don't agree with it, but I do pay it. So the coffee is $7. Lunch always, give or take, a couple of bucks, around 20. I always walk home, so that cost me nothing. But, wow, even my subway days, I'm spending 30 bucks. I mean, it's true. This is a lot of money. And, Pras, you and I were here before the pandemic. We used to get free lunch. We used to get all these perks. We don't anymore. And that now adds into your cost of coming to work.

JOSH SCHAFER: Do you want me to show you how to save money? Let's bring up my budget.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: OK, like, [? you do it. ?]

JOSH SCHAFER: Let's bring up my budget.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Make me feel bad.

JOSH SCHAFER: My budget is a bodega sandwich. It is 9.95.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: You and your sandwich.

JOSH SCHAFER: And that is basically-- and I don't even get that every day. I try to bring lunch probably about three times a week.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: You live close to work, so you walk here and back.

JOSH SCHAFER: So I walk to work. Yeah, so I walk to work. So there's no expense there. There's coffee in the office. Just drink the coffee in the office. You don't need to get a $7 latte, $7 for your latter.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Like I said, these are my splurge days. I don't do it every day, but, yeah.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Let's take a look at mine. Real quick, mine. So basically, I think, I'm hitting around 4-- 30, sorry. Subway $5, you know, when you combine both going back and forth.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Yeah, there and back.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Lunch, 20. Look, lunch, 20, I'm kind of salty about that. Whatever I go [INAUDIBLE], wherever 20 bucks is too much. Coffee, 5 bucks. 30 bucks, so. A lot going on there.

But I think we have an award for the bougiest reporter here at Yahoo Finance. Can we take a look at that please? There we go.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: OK.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: And there we go. Interesting spelling of bougie, but we'll take it, right?

ALEXANDRA CANAL: That and bougie. You know what? I'm going to work on this. I think I'm going to try to challenge myself not to spend anything in a day. I've said this to myself multiple times.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: What are you going to eat?

ALEXANDRA CANAL: I'm going to have to cook for myself, make food.

JOSH SCHAFER: That still counts as money. And that's part of the thing with his return to--

ALEXANDRA CANAL: No, but it's so much cheaper.

JOSH SCHAFER: --this return to office thing is you're paying money, even if you're at home. Yes, it can be cheaper, but also that study included buying breakfast out. Don't buy breakfast out if you're commuting in the office. Make breakfast at your house before you leave.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Some people like breakfast. Some people don't have time.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: And let's not forget the opportunity cost of our time to commute.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: There you go.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: That's a big factor.