Choosing a home with two commutes

In 2025, both spouses worked in about half of America’s married-couple families, and in two-thirds of those with children at home. Picking a home around two workplaces is harder than it looks, and it’s much easier to solve on a map than in an argument.

Start with each commute on its own

Each of you should decide the longest commute you could live with. Be honest. The average one-way commute in 2024 was about 27 minutes, and that average hides a lot of long days.

Map both commutes at once

The commute filter, part of BelongMaps Premium, draws everywhere within a chosen travel time of a workplace. Enter the first workplace, then add the second. Each can have its own travel mode and time limit. The map keeps only the places that work for both of you.

Sometimes that’s a big comfortable band between two offices. Sometimes it’s a thin strip, or nothing at all. If nothing is left, loosen one limit at a time and watch where the map opens up. Our guide to why commute time estimates disagree explains why to leave a buffer in both.

Couples tend to land here anyway. A 2013 study of couples in Montreal found workers in two-earner homes commute the same distance or less than workers in one-earner homes. Couples chose where to live to cut their combined travel.

Decide what “fair” means for you

Splitting the difference isn’t the only answer. Some couples weigh the commute that happens five days a week over one that happens two. Some favor whoever has the less flexible hours, or the partner who handles school pickup. Agree on the rule before you look at houses, not after.

Consider whether one of you can skip the car

Most commuters drive alone, about 69% in 2024. If one of you can take transit or walk, the overlap can open up a lot, and the household may need one car fewer. Our guide to living without a car covers the transit, walkability and grocery layers.

Plan for one of the jobs changing

Jobs change more often than houses do. If one of you is likely to switch jobs, lean toward a place with plenty of work in that field nearby. The nearby jobs layer shows where there are enough jobs in an industry within a typical commute.

And count the days at home. About 13% of workers mostly worked from home in 2024. If one of you is hybrid, their commute counts for less, and the other’s counts for more.

The rest of the list still applies

Once you’ve found the overlap, add everything else on top: budget, schools, hazards. Our guide to moving with young kids covers the layers families tend to add next.

Your starting map

This map opens with two layers, nearby jobs and transit. With Premium, add the commute filter and enter both workplaces.