Whatcom pays more than the U.S. average on some household bills. Here are the details
When it comes to common household bills, a new study finds that Whatcom County residents tend to pay more than residents of most other areas of the U.S.
The bill payment company Doxo estimates residents in the Bellingham metro area, which is all of Whatcom County, pay an average of $1,134 a month on nine common household bills, ranking this area 113th highest out of 914 areas studied. Whatcom’s average was 11.6% higher than the national average.
Whatcom County had the second-highest total in the state, behind Yakima’s $1,354 average monthly bill. The Seattle area’s monthly bill was fifth highest in the state at $1,071.
The company looked at bills for auto loans, auto insurance, utilities, health insurance, life insurance, cable/satellite, cell phone, alarm/security, and dental insurance to come up with its ranking. It did not include housing payments or child care costs.
Bellingham’s bills tend to be close to the national average in most of these categories except for auto loans and health insurance, according to the study. On average a Whatcom resident pays $537 for a car loan, while the national average is $411. For health insurance, the average bill in Whatcom is $180 while the national average is $113.
Whatcom residents pay slightly less than the national average in utilities, cable/satellite and cell phone bills.
