12 Louisiana Cities with the Cheapest Monthly Bill
This article originally appeared on 1130 The Tiger
Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) – Inflation and the cost of living top the news these days. Louisiana households, along with every other state in the country, are seeing less food for more money in the grocery stores and higher prices for the things we buy just because we want them. Doxo, an online bill paying service, crunched the numbers for the country, each state, and the cities to find out how each measure up against the national average.
Their lists for Louisiana rank the most expensive and cheapest parishes and cities in which to live, with a specific eye on the cost of basic household expenses.
To determine the results, they considered:
- Mortgage/rent payments
- Auto loan monthly payments
- Utilities
- Auto, health, and life insurance payments
- Cell phone bills
- Cable/internet bills
- Alarm/security bills
While the argument can be made that Doxo‘s information may be limited, it certainly offers a glimpse into how municipalities in Louisiana measure up against one another and others across the country.
The amounts may seem low, but remember the totals don’t take into account any bills like credit cards, memberships, or child care as those are more specific to each household.
Interestingly, the average income for the bottom 12 on their list of 73 Louisiana cities all have an average income of just under $60,000.
Before we take a look at the cities where household bills are the cheapest, here are the ranking for where cities in Lafayette Parish fell, most to least expensive, according to Doxo:
- Broussard — #18
- Youngsville — #22
- Lafayette — #39
- Duson — #47
- Scott — For some reason, Scott didn’t make the list, perhaps because living there is priceless!
Cheapest Louisiana Cities to Live In
Doxo, a bill payment service, compiled data to provide an overview of how much the average monthly bill payments are in 97% of U.S. zip codes, across 45 service categories. The list includes the 12 cities where the average cost of standard bills (mortgage/rent, auto loan, insurance, utilities, phone, internet) is the cheapest in Louisiana.
Eunice
The 12th cheapest city to live in, according to Doxo’s calculations, is Eunice, a town that straddles Acadia and St. Landry Parishes. The average household bill total is $1,557.
Rayne
Rayne is the Frog Capital of the World, and the household bill average hops up a bit from the next town on our list. They pay $1,545 per month.
Jennings
The seat of Jeff Davis Parish, the average household spends $1,516 per month on bills. That’s more than $7,000 less than the U.S. average.
Minden
Your average Minden household spends $1,460 on household bills per month, just over 31% of the national average.
Ville Platte
Ville Platte’s average household expenses are more than 33% lower than the national average. The average total for things like housing, utilities, car notes, insurance, and internet is $1,416.
Breaux Bridge
Breaux Bridge, situated along I-10 in St. Martin Parish, ties Winnsboro in the average cost of household bills: $1,414.
Winnsboro
A Winnsboro household makes average annual income of $59,359. The average cost is $1,414.
Franklin
The average household bill cost in Franklin is nearly 34% lower than the national average. Their total comes in at $1,408, representing 36% of the average household annual income.
Franklinton
If you lived in Franklinton, the average monthly cost of your household bills would be $1,394, not much more expensive than Many or the other towns that top the list. That puts the Washington Parish town in “the toe of the boot” 34% lower than the U.S. average.
Many
Coming in at #7 is the small town of Many in Sabine Parish. It sits in the Toledo Bend area, and the average monthly cost of household bills is $1,390.
Abbeville
The average household in Abbeville, Louisiana, pays $1,381 on bills, 35% lower than the national average. Based on an annual household income of $68,296, 33% of that money goes to things like housing, car payment, utilities, internet, and phone.
Crowley
The parish seat of Acadia, the average monthly bill total in Crowley is $1,375 per month. Household expenses account for 46% of the average annual income, and run 35% lower than the national average.