[robbrit]

You lost me at "commute via car". Toronto has a reputation for some of the worst traffic in North America.

It might be cheaper to live that far away, but the cost in quality of life + hours commuting isn't worth the trade. Instead you can just go to a smaller town like Waterloo or a cheaper city like Montreal or Ottawa.

[DKnoll]

Takes me around an hour each way. I prefer it to public transit which takes me 45 minutes. I've lived in the GTA my whole life, I'm used to the traffic. The KW and Ottawa are cheap but they're really boring. If you're starting a family or something they would be great.

[ekovarski]

+1 Waterloo/Kitchener area; As for commuting via car, the TTC hasn't fared well as well. Satisfaction keeps dropping month over month in polls. Driving isn't an ideal option either due to the traffic - it is the worst indeed.

[apercu]

You could easily take a GO train from Port Credit to downtown. Very easily. We did it from Clarkson (the next stop West).

[parthdesai]

So you pay at the least around $300 a month to commute via GO train and then you need a car which is at the least another $500 when you factor in gas + insurance + lease. That's another $800 to your monthly expense and add commuting time to that.

[DKnoll]

I bought my car outright, and I would have got that and my insurance whether I need it for work or not. For me the GO train + TTC is approx $13 a day. Driving is $18, which includes parking and gas. Why would I pay for the GO and driving daily (500 + 300)? That doesn't make any sense lol. Even if I included the cost of my car, insurance, gas, parking and (to make it fun) my cable bill, I still pay less than the base cost of an entry level apartment downtown. I don't consider my time driving wasted, it's leisure time.

EDIT: On second reading you may be talking about driving to the GO station, in which case I agree... although I can easily walk to the GO station in <5 minutes myself. Your parent comment might also live a short walk or bus ride away from the Clarkson GO station

[jagger27]

At least with commuter rail you get a few extra productive hours per day, unlike driving. My uncle commutes from Guelph to Toronto on GO most days and makes full use of the silent railcar for work.