2023 Report: Cities in Indiana where Household Expenses are Highest and Lowest
How does living in the Hoosier State affect your wallet? doxo breaks down key insights about Indiana’s household expenses, with a close eye to how bills differ in towns and cities. On average, Indiana household expenses, doxo’s data reveals, are $1,721 per month.
doxo’s data also has infographics for 96 cities and towns across Indiana, breaking down localized bill pay data figures as well. The state-wide rankings for most and least expensive cities provide insight into cost of living in Indiana and how it changes according to location.
The data sheds light on Indiana’s cost of living through other metrics, too. For example, the “percent of household income” data point shows what percentage of household income local residents spend on bills. doxo’s data also indicates how much more or less expensive specific cities are than the national and state average.
Indiana residents’ household bills are 15.9% lower than average
The average Indiana household pays $1,721 a month for the 10 most common household bills. This figure takes into account the 10 most common household bills, which are: Mortgage; Rent; Auto Loan; Utilities (electric, gas, water & sewer, and waste & recycling); Auto Insurance; Cable & Internet & Phone, Health Insurance (consumer paid portion); Mobile Phone; Alarm & Security; and Life Insurance.
Indiana residents pay low household bill expenses: the state ranks 45th out of 50 states in terms of average monthly spending.
Slightly more expensive than Indiana is South Dakota, where residents pay $1,743 a month on average; slightly more affordable is Kentucky, where residents pay $1,710.
The most expensive state for household expenses is Hawaii, where residents pay $3,070 per month. The most affordable state, meanwhile, is West Virginia, where bills average $1,530 per month.
Absolute dollar amounts don’t tell the full story, however. The “percentage of household income” metric provides a more proportional look at bill spending in a particular location. Indiana households spend 34% of their income on household costs, which is a lower share than even some states where households pay more affordable bills. For example, Mississippi residents, though pay less expensive bills than Indiana residents in absolute terms, spend a much higher 41% of household income on them.
Annually, Indiana residents pay $52 billion in household bills. See more data about bill pay in Indiana by clicking on the infographic link below.
Data: doxoINSIGHTS’ bill pay infographic about Indiana
- Average Bill Cost per HH: $1,721 per month
- State Bill Pay Market Size: $52 billion
- doxoINSIGHTS State Rank: 45 out of 50
- Percent of HHI Used for Bills: 34%
- Difference from the National Average: 15.9% lower
Mortgage rates in Indiana are 24% lower than the national average
The average Indiana household pays $1,721 in the 10 most common household bills per month. Housing costs deviate substantially from the national average. The average mortgage is $1,005 per month in Indiana compared to the national average of $1,321: 24% lower than the national average. Rent, at $903 in Indiana compared to $1,191 nationally, is also 24% lower than the national average.
Utilities is also a category where Indiana residents save substantially compared to the national average. The average Indiana household spends $300 on their utility bill, compared to the national average of $351.
Health insurance is the area in which Indiana residents save the most, proportionally, compared to the national average. The average household in the state pays $75 a month for health insurance bills, compared to the national average of $120, making the costs 38% lower than the national average.
Note: Health Insurance and Life Insurance expenses do not account for payments made by employers on behalf of employees. These just include out-of-pocket expenses. Also, the state and national bill totals take into account the percentage of households that pay a bill.
Average Indiana Household Bill Spending
| Bill Category | Average Indiana Monthly Bill | National Average Monthly Bill | Indiana Percent +/- National Average ($2,046) |
| Mortgage | $1,005 | $1,321 | 24% lower |
| Rent | $903 | $1,191 | 24% lower |
| Auto Loan | $424 | $467 | 9% lower |
| Utilities | $300 | $351 | 15% lower |
| Auto Insurance | $203 | $207 | 2% lower |
| Cable & Internet | $116 | $118 | 2% lower |
| Health Insurance | $75 | $120 | 38% lower |
| Mobile Phone | $117 | $119 | 2% lower |
| Alarm & Security | $89 | $84 | 6% higher |
| Life Insurance | $79 | $89 | 11% lower |
| Total | $1,721 | $2,046 | 15.9% lower |
Carmel is the most expensive area for Indiana household bills
Residents of Carmel pay the highest household bills in the state of Indiana, at an average of $2,627 per month. Zionsville comes in second in the rankings, with residents paying an average of $2,613 on household expenses.
Residents of the top two areas, plus the third–Avon–though they pay the most expensive bills in the state, spend a very low share of household income on bills compared to the state average: 27%, 22%, and 30%, compared to the state average of 34%. In fact, all but one of the areas on the list of the 10 most expensive towns in Indiana spend substantially under the state average in terms of share of income devoted to bills.
Also on the list of the most expensive areas to pay household bills in Indiana are Westfield ($2,343 per month), Noblesville ($2,292 per month), and Brownsburg ($2,187 per month).
Access detailed infographics about each city or town by clicking on the hyperlinks in the “City” column in the tables below. You can also browse doxoINSIGHTS’ regional bill comparison database to see infographics about more than 4,200 cities and towns across all 50 states in the US.
10 Most Expensive Indiana Cities for Household Bills
| Rank (1-10 out of 96) | City | Monthly Bill Expenses Per Household | Percent of Household Income Used for Bills |
| 1 | Carmel | $2,627 | 27% |
| 2 | Zionsville | $2,613 | 22% |
| 3 | Avon | $2,351 | 30% |
| 4 | Westfield | $2,343 | 28% |
| 5 | Noblesville | $2,292 | 33% |
| 6 | Brownsburg | $2,187 | 29% |
| 7 | Fishers | $2,171 | 25% |
| 8 | Goshen | $2,122 | 40% |
| 9 | Crown Point | $2,091 | 29% |
| 10 | Shelbyville | $2,023 | 44% |
*Household Bill Pay Expense averages shown above reflect the ten most common bills paid, including housing (rent/mortgage).
Logansport is the most affordable place in Indiana for household bills
Out of 96 cities and towns for which doxoINSIGHTS provides data, Logansport is the most affordable place in Indiana, with residents paying $1,299 on average for household bills. They spend a lower share of their income on household bills than the Indiana average, at 33%.
Decatur is second most affordable area on the list, with residents paying an average of $1,304 on household bills.
Also on the list of most affordable cities and towns in Indiana are Wabash ($1,352 a month), Huntington ($1,393 a month), and Seymour ($1,405 a month).
10 Most Affordable Indiana Cities for Household Bills
| Rank (87-96 out of 96) | City | Monthly Bill Expenses Per Household | Percent of Household Income Used for Bills |
| 87 | East Chicago | $1,431 | 49% |
| 88 | Frankfort | $1,425 | 34% |
| 89 | Hammond | $1,422 | 37% |
| 90 | Warsaw | $1,418 | 28% |
| 91 | Richmond | $1,414 | 38% |
| 92 | Seymour | $1,405 | 30% |
| 93 | Huntington | $1,393 | 33% |
| 94 | Wabash | $1,352 | 30% |
| 95 | Decatur | $1,304 | 29% |
| 96 | Logansport | $1,299 | 33% |
Some individuals may be deciding whether to move from a more expensive city to a less expensive one. doxoINSIGHTS can be a valuable resource for consumers seeking to make key decisions like this, allowing them to compare Indiana’s household expenses against average bills in different cities and states across the country. They can also use doxoINSIGHTS’ regional bill comparison database to compare average costs for over 900 towns and cities across the country.