# Can i afford my $1000 rent while driving for uber full time?



## gandgolf (Nov 6, 2016)

Im moving into a decent sized city (Denver) and my rent is around $950 a month. Im curious if i can make rent without having to work 50+ hours a week. I would be using UberX


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## RedFox (Nov 29, 2015)

gandgolf said:


> Im moving into a decent sized city (Denver) and my rent is around $950 a month. Im curious if i can make rent without having to work 50+ hours a week. I would be using UberX


I'm not sure about your market since I'm in the D.C., area. Assuming you drive for 8-hours / 40 hours a week, then you should expect about $700 a week. Keep in mind taxes, fuel etc...etc...One thing you could do is press yourself to drive for 10-12 hours a day for a week and then pull back the following week to allow yourself some rest. I just know that in the D.C. metro area an 8-hour day nets about $150- $200 -- depending on a lot of variables of course. Best of luck to you. Uber & Lyft is good for supplemental income or in-between jobs income....but not as a full time business model. It was never intended to be anyway. Uber was supposed to be a way for commuters to make some side cash by taking people on their way to and from work and then it morphed into something very different.


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## EX_ (Jan 31, 2016)

I guess you're going have to find out firsthand, good luck.

Generally, me and most semi-dedicated drivers in my area can hit an average threshold of $400-$600 per week at 20 hours. Just be prepared to get screwed over by the annual January price cuts (which slashed most market earnings by 30%-35% and will most likely happen again) while you look for a real job.

But yeah, each city is different with activity and earning potential to provide a concrete answer.


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## Atom guy (Jul 27, 2016)

Ever city is different, everyone's personal finances are different. There is no way any of us can answer this question.


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## Tim In Cleveland (Jul 28, 2014)

Plan on putting 2 miles on your car for each paid mile, to have occupants in the car no more than 50% of the time online, and how can we make this just about your rent? How much do you need for utilities, car payments, loans, credit card payments, food, spending money, etc?


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## Brian G. (Jul 5, 2016)

What are your other expenses besides rent for almost 1k? How much does your monthly bills add up to? Here in Boston the average Uber full timer works 50-80 hrs a week.


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## Buddywannaride (Aug 1, 2016)

Can't be done. $950 rent, $100 cell phone for the data plan, electricity, cable, health insurance, car insurance, $500 a month in gasoline, $100 a month in car maintenance and cleaning. Let's get real, the Uberx rates are too low. Remember: it's not about driver survival it's about how much money Uber can rake in for themselves.


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## Aaron Beauchamp (Apr 18, 2016)

I do this for supplemental income, although I seem to need to "supplement" my income A LOT. Ugh.

I make anywhere from $300 to $400 a week, with about 25-30 hours between Uber and Lyft. Sometimes you win big and get great surge rates, but most of the time, the hourly average after gas is about $14 to $15 an hour. Good luck and God bless.


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## Steven Ambrose (Sep 25, 2016)

This is a second, part time job for me and it delivers what I am looking for. Do it as a side gig, not as full time work. I have made about $600 a week, but that is working the late nights, which I deplore. This may work for others though. My gag reflex is not as good as it used to be and the smell of stale alcohol on someone's breathe, while driving, just turns my stomach.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Where the hell do you have a 1 bedroom apartment in Denver for $950 , I pay over $2k for a one bedroom one bath 1000 sq ft


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Buddywannaride said:


> Can't be done. $950 rent, $100 cell phone for the data plan, electricity, cable, health insurance, car insurance, $500 a month in gasoline, $100 a month in car maintenance and cleaning. Let's get real, the Uberx rates are too low. Remember: it's not about driver survival it's about how much money Uber can rake in for themselves.


$500 for gas what is he driving an X5M ? I work full time and make $900 to $1200 a week and spend $70 a week on gas non hybrid vehicle .


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## yojimboguy (Mar 2, 2016)

The question is: can you earn $950 a month driving full time for Uber in Denver?

The answer is: yes.

This says almost nothing about whether you can afford to live in Denver on ONLY Uber pay. How often do you expect to eat? Is electricity a requirement for your home? ...


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## gandgolf (Nov 6, 2016)

Jimmy Bernat said:


> Where the hell do you have a 1 bedroom apartment in Denver for $950 , I pay over $2k for a one bedroom one bath 1000 sq ft


LOL! Im moving in just west of Washington Square Park but my apartment sure isn't 1000 sq ft. I would say mine is closer to 700 sq ft maybe less. I was looking for a place where i could eat and sleep and also wasn't directly in a bad neighborhoods like the last time i lived in Denver.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Well the answer is yes . . If you work uberX/lyft full time 40 hours you should make between $650 to $800 net a week once you figure out a good strategy . Now if your car qualifies for select or xl you're gonna make a bit more


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## gandgolf (Nov 6, 2016)

Aaron Beauchamp said:


> I do this for supplemental income, although I seem to need to "supplement" my income A LOT. Ugh.
> 
> I make anywhere from $300 to $400 a week, with about 25-30 hours between Uber and Lyft. Sometimes you win big and get great surge rates, but most of the time, the hourly average after gas is about $14 to $15 an hour. Good luck and God bless.


Thanks man. I plan on grinding at least 40 hrs/wk on a somewhat set schedule but gonna start off with something like 50+ hours for the first month or 2 and see how my expenses work out.


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## gandgolf (Nov 6, 2016)

Jimmy Bernat said:


> Well the answer is yes . . If you work uberX/lyft full time 40 hours you should make between $650 to $800 net a week once you figure out a good strategy . Now if your car qualifies for select or xl you're gonna make a bit more


Im rocking a Honda accord 2k15 so I dont qualify but this baby is pretty good on gas haha. Thanks for the replies


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## thesatanicmechanic (Nov 5, 2016)

gandgolf said:


> Im rocking a Honda accord 2k15 so I dont qualify but this baby is pretty good on gas haha. Thanks for the replies


Make sure, a 2015 Accord does qualify for select in many markets.


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## tee hee (Nov 24, 2015)

i would say probably yes... you could probalby pull in 250 to 300 a day but u gotta work 16 to 18 hours


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## scoobydoobydoo (Jan 3, 2016)

In Denver you average about$20 hr. If there is surge or an hourly guarantee then you can make a little more. Lately there has been a Fare Boost guarantee and it has been up to 2.0, but typically it is between 12:00am to 3:00am.


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## intrakitt (Sep 14, 2016)

Jimmy Bernat said:


> $500 for gas what is he driving an X5M ? I work full time and make $900 to $1200 a week and spend $70 a week on gas non hybrid vehicle .


You spend only $70 a week on gas and make between $900 - $1,200?? How? 4 cylinder Honda Civic?Even that seems low for even the most economical car.


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## chopstick (Aug 3, 2016)

It can be done, but I wouldn't rely on Uber alone. Always have a back up plan.


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## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

intrakitt said:


> You spend only $70 a week on gas and make between $900 - $1,200?? How? 4 cylinder Honda Civic?Even that seems low for even the most economical car.


2015 passat 4cyl turbo (qualifies for select) gets over 40mpg on highway and 35mpg+ combined . I usually put just under 1000 miles on my car on average


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## gandgolf (Nov 6, 2016)

thesatanicmechanic said:


> Make sure, a 2015 Accord does qualify for select in many markets.


So apparently I do qualify. Am i as likely to get a PAX with select then with UberX on most days?


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## Peanut hello (Sep 19, 2016)

gandgolf said:


> Im moving into a decent sized city (Denver) and my rent is around $950 a month. Im curious if i can make rent without having to work 50+ hours a week. I would be using UberX


Buy a new car ,and you can try it for yourself.


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## Carl R (Nov 10, 2016)

gandgolf said:


> Im moving into a decent sized city (Denver) and my rent is around $950 a month. Im curious if i can make rent without having to work 50+ hours a week. I would be using UberX


You will not be able to make rent driving for Uber unless you are willing to work 70+ hours per week. Anyone thinking about driving should know that Uber exploits its drivers beyond belief- they keep rates artificially low to expand their rider base at the drivers expense. Uber rates are one-third to one-half of normal taxi cab fares. The icing on the cake is that they discourage tipping which really screws the driver out of being able to earn a decent wage. Surge areas are designed to lure drivers to the area of demand and then disappear quickly- going from Red to white in minutes. Chasing the red surge is a waste of time and gas.

The percentage that Uber takes from drivers is almost 50% which is highway robbery plain and simple. Over half of Uber rides have a fare under $8.00. Here is one typical example: In this example, the fare to the rider is $6.75, the driver receives $3.75 and Uber receives $3.00. Looking at this example, Uber takes a whopping 44% cut of the total fare. Here is how it breaks down: The Base Fare = $5.00. The booking fee is $1.75. Total fare is $6.75. The typical driver gets paid on the base fare only, less 25%. So $5.00 -$1.25 (25%)= $3.75. So the driver gets $3.75 or 56%. Uber gets $3.00 or 44%!


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