{
  "slug": "coworking-vs-home-office",
  "title": "Coworking vs Home Office Calculator",
  "heading": "Coworking vs Home Office Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/coworking-vs-home-office",
  "summary": "Compare a coworking membership against working from home.",
  "description": "Coworking buys focus and meeting space but costs a membership plus commute. This compares total annual cost against a home setup amortized over its life.",
  "formula": "Coworking = (membership + commute × visits) × 12. Home = setup ÷ life + utilities × 12.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=coworking-vs-home-office",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "membership",
      "label": "Monthly membership",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 320,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "commuteCost",
      "label": "Commute cost per visit",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 9,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "visits",
      "label": "Visits per month",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 16,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "setup",
      "label": "Home office setup cost",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2400,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "life",
      "label": "Setup lifespan",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 5,
      "unit": "years",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "utilities",
      "label": "Extra home utilities / mo",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 45,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": null,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "diff",
      "label": "Coworking premium / yr",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "cowork",
      "label": "Coworking annual cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "home",
      "label": "Home office annual cost",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "breakeven",
      "label": "Home cost per month",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Monthly membership: 320 $",
      "Commute cost per visit: 9 $",
      "Visits per month: 16",
      "Home office setup cost: 2400 $",
      "Setup lifespan: 5 years",
      "Extra home utilities / mo: 45 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Coworking premium / yr: $4,548",
      "Coworking annual cost: $5,568",
      "Home office annual cost: $1,020",
      "Home cost per month: $85"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter monthly membership ($).",
      "Enter commute cost per visit ($).",
      "Enter visits per month.",
      "Enter home office setup cost ($).",
      "Enter setup lifespan (years).",
      "Enter extra home utilities / mo ($).",
      "Read your coworking premium / yr on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "membership": 190,
        "commuteCost": 5,
        "visits": 10,
        "setup": 1400,
        "life": 3,
        "utilities": 25
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "membership": 320,
        "commuteCost": 9,
        "visits": 16,
        "setup": 2400,
        "life": 5,
        "utilities": 45
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "membership": 510,
        "commuteCost": 14,
        "visits": 26,
        "setup": 3800,
        "life": 8,
        "utilities": 70
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How does the coworking vs home office calculator work?",
      "a": "Coworking buys focus and meeting space but costs a membership plus commute. This compares total annual cost against a home setup amortized over its life. The underlying maths is: Coworking = (membership + commute × visits) × 12. Home = setup ÷ life + utilities × 12."
    },
    {
      "q": "What do I need to enter?",
      "a": "6 values: monthly membership, commute cost per visit, visits per month, home office setup cost, setup lifespan, and extra home utilities / mo. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move."
    },
    {
      "q": "What does the coworking premium / yr result mean?",
      "a": "It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?",
      "a": "Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser."
    },
    {
      "q": "How accurate is the result?",
      "a": "It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them."
    },
    {
      "q": "Who is this tool for?",
      "a": "It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/remote-work-savings",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/home-office-deduction-estimate"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Coworking vs Home Office Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/coworking-vs-home-office)"
}