Looking To Move To Another State? These Are the 10 Most and Least Expensive for Household Bills
This article was originally posted on GoBankingRates.
Written by Vance Cariaga | Edited by Amen Oyiboke
Household bills can add up in a hurry and take a big bite out of your income if you don’t watch them closely. For proof, consider that the typical American household spends nearly $25,000 a year on the 13 most essential bills, according to a recent report from bill-pay service doxo. That adds up to $2,058 a month — or roughly 40% of the typical U.S. income.
Depending on where you live, household bills can be much bigger or smaller than average. The doxo 2025 U.S. Household Bill Pay Report found that the difference between the most and least expensive states for mortgage payments alone adds up to $1,638 a month.
For its study, doxo analyzed tens of millions of bill payments across 97% of U.S. zip codes and all U.S. income and regional demographic segments. Researchers looked at household bills across 13 expense categories to determine the median bill in each state.
Individual expense categories were as follows:
- Mortgage: $1,775 per month national median
- Rent: $1,453
- Auto loan: $470
- Cable & internet: $121
- Electricity: $120
- Auto insurance: $105
- Mobile phone: $96
- Water & sewer: $86
- Alarm & security: $74
- Health insurance (consumer direct portion): $72
- Gas: $71
- Waste/recycling: $70
- Life insurance: $60
The differences between states can be stark. For example, the doxo report found that residents in California spend a median of $2,854 a month on household bills, CNBC reported — or roughly 39% above the national average. In contrast, residents of West Virginia spend a median of $1,149 a month, or 44% lower than the average.
If you plan to move to another state, you might want to research how much you can expect to spend on household bills in different states, and how much you can afford. Depending on where you live, you could earn thousands of dollars a year compared with other places.
Here are the five most expensive states in the country for household bills, according to doxo data, along with the median costs of four of the costliest bills. Keep in mind that individual expenses can be much higher in some parts of a state than others, which skews the overall numbers.
| State | Mortgage | Rent | Cable/internet | Electricity |
| California | $2,657 | $2,028 | $116 | $125 |
| Hawaii | $2,494 | $2,068 | $115 | $197 |
| New Jersey | $2,533 | $1,703 | $124 | $124 |
| Massachusetts | $2,386 | $1,783 | $100 | $136 |
| Maryland | $1,952 | $1,668 | $125 | $150 |
On the other end of the spectrum, these are the five least expensive states for household bills.
| State | Mortgage | Rent | Cable/internet | Electricity |
| West Virginia | $1,019 | $870 | $105 | $121 |
| Mississippi | $1,129 | $945 | $129 | $125 |
| Oklahoma | $1,237 | $998 | $132 | $117 |
| Arkansas | $1,124 | $921 | $99 | $109 |
| New Mexico | $1,339 | $1,047 | $122 | $89 |
Household bills are one of the largest ongoing expenses you’ll face, and where you live can significantly impact how much you spend each month. Whether you’re cutting costs, relocating, or just trying to stay ahead of inflation, staying aware of how your household bills compare to national and state averages can help you make smarter money decisions.
Amen Oyiboke-Osifo contributed to this article.