By Jorge Casuso

October 11, 2022 -- When it comes to average household expenses, Santa Monica ranked among the top ten California cities with the highest monthly bills, making it among the costliest cities in the nation, according to a report released this month.

The average monthly bill in Santa Monica was $3,119, making it the eighth most expensive city of more than 40,000 residents in the state, according to the report released by Doxo, a personal finance resource.

The study looked at mortgage, rent, auto loan, utilities, auto insurance, cable/internet/phone service, health insurance, mobile phone, alarm and security, and life insurance.

Santa Monica's average monthly expenses -- likely among the highest in the country -- were more than 50 percent above the national average of $2,003 per month.

The average U.S. household spends $24,032 a year on bills, or 36 percent of the U.S. median household income of $67,521 -- an increase of 6 percent year over year, the study found. Santa Monica's median household income is $98,300.

California (with average monthly expenses of $2,649) ranked second after Hawaii ($2,911) for the highest household bills, in large part due to high housing costs, according to the report.

The state's average mortgage bill of $2,234 per month was far higher than the national average of $1,368, while the average rent bill was $1,570, compared to $1,129 for the nation.

The average utility bill in California -- $347 -- was slightly higher than the national average of $328; while the average health insurance bill and mobile phone, cable and satellite bill was about the same.

The average monthly auto loan bill in California was higher than the national average -- $474 compared to $433 -- but the average auto insurance bill was lower, $163 compared to $196.

California claimed three large cities among the five most expensive in the nation.

San Jose ranked first, with an average bill cost of $3,248 per month, followed by New York with $3,059; Boston with $2,963, San Francisco with $2,946, and San Diego with $2,689.

Los Angeles was the seventh most expensive large city for household bills with an average of $2,672 per month.

The least expensive large city was Detroit, with a monthly bill expense of $1,634 per household, followed by Cleveland with $1,655.

Midwest cities were among the least expensive in the nation, while cities along both coasts had the highest household costs.

A recent Doxo study found that 89 percent of Americans have seen a jump in their household bills over the past 12 months with utilities rising the most.

The study also found that 87 percent of Americans worry about their ability to pay their bills if inflation rates continue to rise.

For the full report click here