The Tampa Tribune reports that Tampa Bay is one of the costliest places for commuting. A 2006 study by the Washington-based Center for Housing Policy said the region tied for the top spot among 28 major metropolitan areas when it comes to the percentage of income working families spend on commuting.

According to the report, families in the Tampa Bay area earning $20,000 to $50,000 a year devote a third of their incomes to getting to and from work. That tied us with Pittsburgh and Kansas City for the highest commuting costs.

Now there's a Web tool for counting the costs by neighborhood. The site was launched by the Center for Neighborhood Technology in partnership with The Brookings Institution.

Go to http://htaindex.cnt.org then select the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region and then choose a specific neighborhood.

The "advanced" feature allows users to break down costs by "vehicle miles traveled." Fish Hawk residents, for example, commute an average of 17,020 miles a year. That's almost 3,000 miles farther than Plant City residents.