What makes this Not The Onion to me is how normalized this story is. How did things get to this point? Would she be happy with a job that only had a 2.5 hour commute each way!? Maybe, and that is what makes it existentially funny to me.
For example, an increase in the commuting time for the average respondent by only 15 min would have to be compensated by a net wage increase of almost 12%.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537124001271
The analysis relies on data from the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. By determining the average time people spend commuting in metro areas and the average hourly wage in those areas, the analysis calculates the dollar value of a worker’s commuting time over a year.
The article says the commute took so long because of traffic and congestion on the roads, so the distance itself might not be that far. It’s an unreasonably long commute either way though.
I could maybe understand accepting a job that far away as a temporary solution, like if you are eventually planning to relocate to that area and need to save up first, or trying to break into an industry with limited local opportunities until you get a bit of experience and find something closer.
Some people do it because of the cost of living differential. If pay in the city is over three times what you could make local, you might be incentivized to take a long commute and deal with it.