Winnetka Ranks 2nd Most Expensive Town In Illinois For Cost Of Living
This article was originally posted on Patch
WINNETKA, IL — According to a recent report, Illinois residents pay an average of 4 percent more on household bills than the U.S. average, while Winnetka 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 Winnetka pays $3,541 per month ($42,490 per year) on the 10 most common household bills, which ranks it as the 2nd most expensive town in Illinois. Nationally, Americans pay $2,126 monthly on average for all services.
In addition, Winnetka household bills are 67 percent higher than the U.S. average in the “Cost of Bills Index” — household bills expense per month, including housing.
Bills in Winnetka households are $16,977 per year higher than the U.S. average.
According to the report, household bills account for 19 percent of annual household income, which averages $227,013 in Winnetka.
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 — Winnetka residents pay less on utilities and health insurance 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 — Winnetka residents pay $3,756 monthly vs. national average of $1,402 per month
- Rent — residents pay $1,855 vs. national average ($1,300)
- Auto loans — residents pay $682 vs. national average ($496)
- Utilities — residents pay $321 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)
Half of the top 10 highest-spending towns in Illinois are located alongside Winnetka on Chicago’s North Shore. (Kenilworth and Glencoe are not included among the ranked municipalities.) According to the report, the most expensive cities/towns for household bills in Illinois are:
- Hinsdale — $3,551 in household bills per month
- Winnetka — $3,541
- Deerfield — $3,464
- Barrington — $3,355
- Wilmette — $3,318
- Highland Park — $3,314
- Lake Zurich — $3,271
- Lake Forest — $3,255
- Yorkville — $3,020
- Mokena — $2,977