Where Does Skokie Rank In Household Bills, Monthly Expenses?

SKOKIE, IL — According to a recent report, Illinois residents pay an average of 4 percent more on household bills than the U.S. average, while Skokie residents 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 Skokie pays $2,399 per month ($28,787 per year) on the 10 most common household bills, which ranks it as the 77th most expensive town in Illinois. Nationally, Americans pay $2,126 monthly on average for all services.

In addition, Skokie household bills are 13 percent higher than the U.S. average in the "Cost of Bills Index" — household bills expense per month, including housing.

Bills in Skokie households are $3,275 per year higher than the U.S. average.

According to the report, household bills account for 32 percent of annual household income, which averages $89,579 in Skokie.

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 — Skokie residents pay less on utilities, health insurance, cable and internet services than the average American household.

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

• Mortgage — Skokie residents pay $2,151 monthly vs. national average of $1,402 per month
• Rent — residents pay $1,464 vs. national average ($1,300)
• Auto loans — residents pay $519 vs. national average ($496)
• Utilities — residents pay $334 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 $121 vs. national average ($121)
• Cable and internet — residents pay $103 vs. national average ($122)
• Life insurance — residents pay $88 vs. national average ($87)
• Alarm and security — residents pay $91 vs. national average ($85)

Half of the top 10 highest-spending towns in Illinois are located north of Skokie 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