The Hidden Costs of Things

Calculating the lifetime cost and cost per usage

By surfing 3-4 times per week I’m easily meeting my principle of frequent usage plus the internal satisfaction of doing what I love. Photo: Per Håkansson

In the race for cheap or even free we often forget the hidden costs of ownership. A car might have a very attractive sticker price but also comes with a few additional costs that are never mentioned at the point of sale.

What we really need to calculate is the long-term ownership costs, including service, gasoline, maintenance, upgrades, replacements, parking fees, accessories, parking tickets, insurance, and depreciation. In addition, now that we have an alternative to combustion engines, we can also factor in environmental costs.