Commute vs Renting in DT

[typinganxiety]

I am working as a summer student on Bay St. I am debating between subletting and commuting. 

My summer student term is 13 weeks (in-person). My commute is 15-20 minutes of driving and 30 min train. Planning to purchase a house with my wife for articling so I want to save up but worried about the commute.

How is the commute for those who did it? How are hours for summering? Should I suck it up and pay $6000-8000 to live in toronto for just 13 weeks of work? 

Any experiences, perspectives, and comments are appreciated. 

[chaboywb]

Is your firm fully in person or hybrid? In the current world, I’d likely opt not to sublet downtown. You probably have flexibility and, while face time and building connections are important, it’s not as vital during summer as during articling and many have adjusted to doing so virtually.

[Jaggers]

It's true that a lot of the benefits of being downtown, in terms of social life, street life, restaurants, etc. are not what they usually are yet. Maybe it will be better this summer, but who knows?. If commute is all you care about, that's not relevant, but if you care about that stuff, the premium right now is not as worth it.

[Pantalaimon]

The working hours for summering are very manageable; I wouldn't expect a reduction in commute time from 30 mins to, say, 10 mins to have any meaningful increase in your quality of life. You may see more of an impact in terms of social life. It's easier to gel with coworkers when you're stumbling home together, or condo hopping for pre-drinks, than waving bye at the subway stop or meeting at the venue. And there are lots of opportunities to stay downtown late (usually free!) during your summer - it's one of the perks.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Pantalaimon

[Rashabon]

I commuted from Bathurst and Wilson to downtown as a summer student and had no issues. Commute was probably longer than half an hour on a bunch of days. 30 minutes is not a long commute and many of the senior folks are commuting at least as long. I wouldn't recommend subletting with a reasonable commute like that.