Evanston Ranked As 14th Most Expensive Town In Illinois For Household Bills

EVANSTON, IL — According to a recent report, Illinois residents pay an average of 4 percent more on household bills than the U.S. average, while Evanstonians pay even more.

Doxo, an online bill payment service, released a report ranking the highest and lowest towns and cities in Illinois for household expenses.

DoxoInsights took a look at 227 towns and cities in Illinois, as well as the rest of the country, for the report.

According to the report, the average household in Evanston pays $2,917 per month ($35,002 per year) on the 10 most common household bills, which ranks it as the 14th most expensive town in Illinois. Nationally, Americans pay $2,126 monthly on average for all services.

In addition, Evanston household bills are 37 percent higher than the U.S. average in the "Cost of Bills Index" — household bills expense per month, including housing.

Bills in Evanston households are $9,489 per year higher than the U.S. average.

According to the report, household bills account for 37 percent of annual household income, which averages $95,757 in Evanston.

The report looked at mortgage, rent, auto loans, utilities, auto insurance, health insurance, mobile phone, cable and internet, alarm and security and life insurance.

Not all of them are above the national average — Evanstonians pay less on utilities and insurance than the average American household.

Here is a breakdown of how much Evanston residents pay monthly for each service compared to the rest of the country.

• Mortgage — Evanston residents pay $2,615 monthly vs. national average of $1,402 per month
• Rent — residents pay $1,640 vs. national average ($1,300)
• Auto loans — residents pay $592 vs. national average ($496)
• Utilities — residents pay $206 vs. national average ($362)
• Auto insurance — residents pay $208 vs. national average ($209)
• Health insurance — residents pay $102 vs. national average ($114)
• Mobile phone — residents pay $259 vs. national average ($121)
• Cable and internet — residents pay $259 vs. national average ($122)
• Life insurance — residents pay $79 vs. national average ($87)
• Alarm and security — residents pay $101 vs. national average ($85)

Half of the top 10 highest-spending towns in Illinois are located north of Evanston on Chicago's North Shore. According to the report, the most expensive cities/towns for household bills in Illinois are:

1. Hinsdale — $3,551 in household bills per month
2. Winnetka — $3,541
3. Deerfield — $3,464
4. Barrington — $3,355
5. Wilmette — $3,318
6. Highland Park — $3,314
7. Lake Zurich — $3,271
8. Lake Forest — $3,255
9. Yorkville — $3,020
10. Mokena — $2,977