This Maine Town Has the Highest Monthly Bills in the State
This article originally appeared on Seacoast Current
By Jeff Parsons
Bills. No one likes them. I challenge you to find someone who says they like paying their bills. Impossible. You likely don’t enjoy paying bills, even if you earn money well beyond your needs. They just keep coming.
Ever wonder how much we Mainers are paying on our bills on average? Doxo.com keeps statistics on how much each state in the county is paying in bills.
Their most recent report is from 2022, and shows that Mainers pay an average of $1922 a month in bills, placing us right in the middle of the pack at the 24th most expensive bill-paying state. However, the breakdown of the bills we’re paying in Maine does show that we pay more for some things than most states.
In 2022, the average monthly cost in Maine for a mortgage, rent, auto loans, auto insurance, health insurance, and life insurance are all below the national average. We pay more than the national average for utilities, cable and satellite, and mobile phones. Utilities are the biggest hit for us with an average of $452 a month, while the national average sits at $328 per month.
I guess you have to look at the bright side that 26 states are paying more than we are in bills.
But how about we break it down even further to find out which city or town in Maine pays the most for their monthly bills? The winner (or loser, depending on how you look at it), is Scarborough. Residents of Scarborough, Maine, pay $2547 per month on average, the most out of any city in the state.
So how about the rest of Maine? It would take up way too much space to list every town and city in the state, so we’ve got the top 16 towns or cities in Maine that have the highest monthly bills.
PEOPLE LIVING IN THESE 16 MAINE TOWNS HAVE THE HIGHEST MONTHLY BILLS IN THE STATE
These are the 16 towns in Maine that pay the most money toward their monthly bills in the entire state.
16. Waterville
Average Total Bill Costs: $1693 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $889 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Cable & Satellite at $40 per month
15. Augusta
Average Total Bill Costs: $1754 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $954 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $68 per month
14. Ellsworth
Average Total Bill Costs: $1810 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1118 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $54 per month
13. Lewiston
Average Total Bill Costs: $1057 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $889 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $56 per month
12. Brunswick
Average Total Bill Costs: $1877 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1239 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Health Insurance at $28 per month
11. Bangor
Average Total Bill Costs: $1895 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1137 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Alarm and Security at $82 per month
10. Biddeford
Average Total Bill Costs: $1941 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1464 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Auto Insurance at $49 per month
9. Auburn
Average Total Bill Costs: $1966 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1168 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $52 per month
8. Sanford
Average Total Bill Costs: $2131 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1082 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $65 per month
7. Saco
Average Total Bill Costs: $2135 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1515 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $65 per month
6. Windham
Average Total Bill Costs: $2157 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1334 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $65 per month
5. Gorham
Average Total Bill Costs: $2718 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1585 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $65 per month
4. Westbook
Average Total Bill Costs: $2186 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1137 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $68 per month
3. Portland
Average Total Bill Costs: $2260 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1564 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $65 per month
2. South Portland
Average Total Bill Costs: $2316 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1482 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $65 per month
1. Scarbrough
Average Total Bill Costs: $2547 per month
Average of most expensive bill: Mortage at $1882 per month
Average of least expensive bill: Life Insurance at $65 per month
Why does Scarborough pay so much in bills? I would assume that it’s location, location, location. They are right next to the ocean, and that means you need deeper pockets to live there than you would need in a rural town like Buckfield. Bigger pockets mean bigger homes and higher utility bills, which as we pointed out, are higher than the national average in Maine.