If you’re trying to pad your savings — for retirement or even just a fancy vacation somewhere warm — sometimes it’s the little things that can weigh you down. These small expenses might not seem like much at the time, but they can cause just enough damage to keep you from reaching your savings goals. One of these (seemingly) tiny obstacles is a relatively new concept: car-hailing apps, like Lyft and Uber.
According to a study from BettermentOpens a new window, for the average 20-something, using Uber for roughly 25 years will cost them about $323,190. Another report, from Credit Karma, showed that American adults who use ride-sharing apps spend just over $4,000 a year on them. Meanwhile, AAA says that while the average cost of owning your own car is roughly $11,000 in year one; it plummets to just $7,500 by year 10. That’s more than using Uber, of course, but owning a car means unlimited rides.
Naturally, there are some caveats to these reports. While $323,190 sounds like a lot, spread out over 25 years, it’s not much annually. And the Credit Karma came up with its estimates assuming customers used Lyft or Uber three times per week. There are surely plenty of consumers who don’t use the apps that often. You could also opt to use Uber Pool or Lyft Shuttle, which cut costs by combining several riders on one trip.