Highland Park Ranked As 6th Most Expensive Town In Illinois For Cost Of Living

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — According to a recent report, Illinois residents pay an average of 4 percent more on household bills than the U.S. average, while Highland Park residents pay significantly 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 Highland Park pays $3,314 per month ($39,772 per year) on the 10 most common household bills, which ranks it as the 6th most expensive town in Illinois. Nationally, Americans pay $2,126 monthly on average for all services.

In addition, Highland Park household bills are 56 percent higher than the U.S. average in the "Cost of Bills Index" — household bills expense per month, including housing.

Bills for Highland Park households are $14,259 per year higher than the U.S. average.

According to the report, household bills account for 25 percent of annual household income, which averages $159,519 in Highland Park.

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 — Highland Park residents pay less on utilities and health insurance than the average American household.

Here is a breakdown of how much households in Highland Park pay every month for each service compared to the rest of the country.

• Mortgage — Highland Park residents pay $3,399 monthly vs. national average of $1,402 per month
• Rent — residents pay $1,904 vs. national average ($1,300)
• Auto loans — residents pay $496 vs. national average ($496)
• Utilities — residents pay $328 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 $128 vs. national average ($121)
• Cable and internet — residents pay $136 vs. national average ($122)
• Life insurance — residents pay $88 vs. national average ($87)
• Alarm and security — residents pay $91 vs. national average ($85)

Four of the other top 10 highest-spending towns in Illinois are located alongside Highland Park on Chicago's North Shore. (The report does not include Glencoe or Kenilworth.) 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