Athens bills cheaper than average
This article originally appeared on Yahoo News
By Rich Flowers
Feb. 11—Many Athens residents may feel like it’s a challenge to meet their bills every month, but they are paying considerably less than the national average.
Doxo Insights, a Seattle based company, which offers bill paying services, gives detailed statistics each year on national and regional household bills. The study compiled data on 10 types of expenses on more than 4,000 cities.
Athens’ average monthly payment by household was $1,488. That ranks 220th of the 247 in Texas listed in the survey. The national average was $2,003. Texas averaged $1,956. The most expensive town to live in in Texas was South Lake, $3,655. The least expensive was Mercedes, $1,104.
Other area cities were Mabank, $1,711; Palestine, $1,642, Jacksonville, 1,555 and Corsicana, $1,523.
Doxo’s breakdown of bills for Athens shows the various costs for the city, followed by the national average:
Mortgage — $922 — $1,368
Rent — $853 — $,1129
Auto Loans — $303 — $433
Utilities — $271- $328
Health Insurance — $97 — $123
Auto Insurance — $286 — $197
Cable & Internet — $110 — $114
Mobile phone — $123 — $113
Alarm & Security — $47 — 84
Life Insurance — $50 — $82
Among all the cities and towns, the most common bill residents pay is on an auto loan. Following closely in second is a cell phone bill.
Housing related expenses are the largest bills Henderson County residents pay. Auto loans are the second largest of the 10 most common bills for local residents. The average auto loan bill in Athens is $303 a month, compared to the national average of $433. Doxo says this may be partially attributable to car choice: larger, more expensive vehicles cost individuals more in terms of monthly loan payments.