How long would I need to work to buy something?

It might surprise you how long you will need to work to purchase something. Use this calculator to get an estimate of how many hours you would need to work to obtain your prize.

Input

Are you paid a salary or hourly?

Hourly Salary

Yearly salary ?

Used only if you're paid a salary. Converted to an hourly rate assuming a standard work year.

Hourly pay ?

Used only if you're paid hourly.

Cost of a purchase

Enter your values and select Calculate.

The hours and days figures above show how much of your working time this purchase represents, based on gross pay — before taxes, benefits deductions, or commuting time are taken out. Your actual take-home cost in time is higher than what's shown here, since net pay is always less than gross.

The two things that move this result the most are your pay rate (salary or hourly) and the cost of the purchase itself. A raise, a job change, or simply comparing this against a cheaper alternative will change the answer more than almost anything else you could adjust.

This is a simple time-for-money comparison, not a budgeting or affordability check. It doesn't account for savings you already have, financing costs if you'd borrow to buy, or the fact that not all your working hours go toward discretionary spending. Treat it as a perspective tool, not a purchase decision on its own.

It's worth rerunning this whenever your pay changes or before a large purchase, just to see the number in front of you again. Comparing the hours for two different items — a want versus a want, or a want versus an alternative — is often more useful than looking at either one alone.

This information may help you analyze your financial needs. It is based on information and assumptions provided by you regarding your goals, expectations and financial situation. The calculations do not infer that the company assumes any fiduciary duties. The calculations provided should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice. In addition, such information should not be relied upon as the only source of information. This information is supplied from sources we believe to be reliable but we cannot guarantee its accuracy. Hypothetical illustrations may provide historical or current performance information. Past performance does not guarantee nor indicate future results.