Most and Least Expensive States for Household Bills

These include things like rent/mortgage, utilities and cable.

by Dawn Allcot, Go Banking Rates, April 21, 2021

Many factors go into the cost of living in various states, including housing prices, state taxes, insurance costs and even the price of fuel. Monthly household bills also play a large role in a region’s cost of living. Digital bill paying service doxo recently reported that 20% of many household budgets go toward bills across 10 major categories.  

The company recently put together the 2021 United States of Bill Pay Report, which evaluated the average prices for bills across 30,000 U.S. ZIP codes to find the most and least expensive states in which to pay bills. 

Doxo looked at bills in 10 common categories: 

Mortgage
Rent
Auto loans
Utilities
Auto insurance
Cable/internet/phone
Health insurance
Mobile phone service
Alarm and security
Life insurance

If you’re planning a move in the near future, perhaps because you have the option of continuing to work remotely, consider these statistics if you’re seeking a place with a lower cost of living.

Most Expensive States for Paying Bills

These five states are the most expensive to live in, as far as household bills go — and they’re probably not all that surprising.

Hawaii

Because the state has to import virtually everything across water, Hawaii is listed as one of the most expensive states to pay bills. The cost of bills in Hawaii totals an average of $2,731 per month, 44.6% higher than the national average, doxo reports. 

The average mortgage in Hawaii is $1,878, doxo reports. Real estate prices are so high because it’s such a desirable place to live. Who wouldn’t want to live in a tropical paradise if they could afford it?  

One way to reduce costs in Hawaii is to opt for solar energy, as the sun shines 8% more in the state than in other places across the U.S., according to the website RealHawaii.co. By opting for solar panels on your Hawaii home, you may be able to shave some money off your utility bill, which could run as high as $540 if you’re an average Hawaiian household, according to the doxo study. 

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