South Burlington tops the list as most expensive for monthly bills, according to study
Residents of South Burlington pay the highest monthly bills in Vermont, according to a study by doxo, a company that tries to simplify how consumers pay bills.
The report analyzed household expenditures on mortgage or rent; auto loans; utilities (electricity, gas, water and sewer, waste and recycling); auto insurance; cable, internet and phone; health insurance (consumer contributions only); mobile phone; alarm and security; and life insurance.
For each of these categories, doxo researched the average monthly bill and the percentage of households with the bill in 10 Vermont cities, which ranked in the following order from most expensive to least expensive:
South Burlington − $2,419
Essex Junction − $2,353
Colchester − $2,264
Bennington − $2,243
Burlington − $2,117
Montpelier − $2,117
St. Albans − $2,105
Rutland − $2,036
Barre − $1,841
Brattleboro − $1,810
Vermont is very close to the national average for monthly bills
Average monthly bills in Vermont of $2,036 ranked 23rd out of 50 nationally, just 1% below the national average of $2,046. The monthly bills in Vermont represented 37% of household income, on average.
Hawaii was the most expensive state to live in, with average monthly bills of $3,070, 50% above the national average. West Virginia was the least expensive state to live in, with average monthly bills of $1,530 − half the cost of living in Hawaii, and 25% below the national average.
The report found that 44% of households in Vermont have a mortgage payment, while 26% pay rent. Nearly three-quarters of households have a monthly car payment and monthly cable and satellite bills, while 91% have both auto insurance and mobile phone bills to pay every month.
The least number of Vermonters with a particular bill was for alarm and security, with only 14% of households paying that cost.
Inflation worries
Inflation was top-of-mind for those interviewed for the doxo report, with three out of four consumers saying inflation impacted their ability to pay bills, and 86% saying they were worried about the impact inflation will have on their financial health in the future.
"As consumers navigate their household bills in today's volatile marketplace, bill payers may feel left in the dark, not fully understanding how much they are truly paying each month," Liz Powell, senior director of insights at doxo, said in a statement.
Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Study ranks Vermont cities by average monthly bills
