LIVING IS EXPENSIVE
Austin household bills are 25 percent higher than the national average, report finds
We already know how expensive it is to live in Austin. With rent prices on the rise and a six-figure salary not going as far as it used to, it’s no wonder why people would rather move to the suburbs than live in the city. Now, a new tool explores just how pricey the average Austinite’s household bills are in comparison to the national average. Spoilers: it’s not a pretty picture.
The average Austin household pays $2563 monthly for their bills, which adds up to $30,756 a year. When compared to the national average, which is $24,552 a year, the Austinite household is paying $6,204 more per year, or 25 percent more. Their findings show Austin is the No. 33 most expensive Texas city for household expenses, so at least we’re not at the top of that list.
If you look around at other Austin-area cities, like Pflugerville, the average household is paying $2,358 per month for their bills, which is only 15 percent higher than the national average.
In Round Rock, however, the average household there pays more than they would in Austin proper, at $2,606 a month, making them the No. 30 priciest city for household expenses in Texas. Additionally, Round Rock residents pay $6,720 more per year in household bills than the average American household.
Here’s how Austin-area cities rank when compared to all cities in Texas:
- No. 23 – Dripping Springs
- No. 30 – Round Rock
- No. 33 – Austin
- No. 49 – Buda
- No. 50 – Cedar Park
- No. 55 – Manor
- No. 60 – Pflugerville
- No. 27 – Kyle
- No. 135 – San Marcos
- No. 153 – Del Valle
The DoxoInsights (stylized doxoINSIGHTS) Explorer is a first-of-its-kind tool that calculates the average monthly payments for 10 of the most common household bills and compares them to the national average. The bills that it tracks are the average cost of a mortgage, rent, auto loan, utilities, auto insurance, mobile phone, health insurance, cable and satellite, life insurance, and alarm and security.
According to the tool, Travis County is the No. 7 in a ranking of most expensive household bills in the state. Neighboring Williamson and Hays also rank in the top 10 most expensive counties in Texas at No. 6 and No. 10, respectively.
The top 10 most expensive counties in Texas are:
- No. 1 – Collin County
- No. 2 – Rockwall County
- No. 3 – Fort Bend County
- No. 4 – Denton County
- No. 5 – Kendall County
- No. 6 – Williamson County
- No. 7 – Travis County
- No. 8 – Waller County
- No. 9 – Galveston County
- No. 10 – Hays County
More information can be found on doxo.com.