Report finds Bay County to be 21st most expensive in the state
This article was originally posted on WJHD-TV
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Everybody has expenses, namely household bills, things like mortgage, rent, and utilities.
Well, a company called doxo recently did a report on those numbers nationwide, and News Channel 7 took a look at bills locally.
The report shows a tale of two cities.
Panama City is the 147th most expensive city in the state, and over the bridge, Panama City Beach sits at the 73rd most expensive.
What does that mean on a larger scale?
Panama City Beach pays about 9% more for household bills compared to the national average. Panama City, on the other hand, is 8% below the average.
Bay County as a whole is in the top third of all counties in Florida in terms of expenses sitting at number 21 in the state.
Residents from Panama City Beach didn’t feel very surprised by the insights.
“I mean it’s the price of living on the beach. I wouldn’t say it is worth it, but when you get to look at the beach every day and live in the beautiful state, then it kind of makes sense,” said Patrick H., a Panama City Beach resident.
Those on the town side say that they also would anticipate higher prices on the beachside.
“I feel like I don’t experience that compared to them. I think they have a higher rate over there because of the tourism factor,” said Katrina S., a resident of Panama City.
While the overall amount of money spent may be different between the two cities, the percentage of their incomes they use on bills didn’t change much: 38% in Panama City versus 37% in Panama City Beach.