Cost Of Household Bills Rises: How Much Barnegat-Manahawkin Pays

BARNEGAT-MANAHAWKIN, NJ — Living in New Jersey isn't cheap. And a new report reflects just how much more money Barnegat and Manahawkin residents are spending compared to the average American household.

The doxoINSIGHTS 2024 U.S. Household Bill Pay Report found that consumers across the country saw the amount they pay to keep up on household bills increase 4 percent since last year.

The report, which reflects actual bill payment activity in more than 97 percent of U.S. zip codes, identifies the most and least expensive states for Americans to live in — based on average monthly spending on actual household bill payments.

The average American household spend $25,513 per year, or 34 percent of income on the ten most essential household bills, according to the report. Of course, that number is higher in New Jersey. Here, the average household was found to pay $2,802 per month, or $33,627 per year on bills.

In Barnegat and Manahawkin, that number is actually slightly less than the state average, according to the report. The average Barnegat family is paying $2,288 per month, or $27,462 per year on bills, per the doxoINSIGHTS report. That's about 33 percent of the annual household income of $85,818.

It's only slightly higher in Manahawkin, where the average family pays $2,690 per month on bills, or $32,279 annually, per the report. This is about 31 percent of the annual household income.

Most of that money is going towards mortgages and auto loans, which make up more than half of all bill payments in both towns, according to the study. Household expenses in Barnegat are 7.6 percent higher than the U.S. average, the study says. Meanwhile, in Manahawkin those expenses are 26.5 percent higher.

The average monthly mortgage bill in Barnegat is $1,701 and in Manahawkin it's $1,803 compared to $1,402 nationally, per the study. Rent is more expensive, too. While the national average is $1,300 monthly, in Barnegat it's $1,770 and Manahawkin it's $1,686.

You can explore more of the data here.

This article contains additional reporting by Patch's Michelle Rotuno-Johnson.