Inflation is upon and most of us are feeling the pinch of higher prices. Let's start with the home itself, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, house prices rose in July by a record 19.9 percent compared to a year earlier.  Interestingly, the higher prices haven't chased away the buyers. ABC News reports sales of existing homes are up 16 percent in the first eight months of 2021 compared to last year, and up 12 percent from the same period in 2019.

The Cost Of Common Bills

So you have a home, (perhaps a pricey home) what about the cost of maintaining said home?

Third-party bill payer company doxo just released the Washington State Household Bill Report 2021, which analyzes Washington's household spending at the state level and compares spending differences across key cities and towns.

What does the report tell us about Yakima, Washington, and how our city compares to the rest of the state?

Where Does Yakima Stand?

For starters, the report shows that residents of Yakima spend an average of $2,017 a month on the 10 most common household bills. That's good news and bad news depending on who is doing the comparison.  Yakima's bills are 8.2% lower than the Washington average of $2,197.  So Yea, that's a good thing,  But, Yakima's bill average  6.8% higher than the national average of $1,889.

If you are considering a move for a cheaper lifestyle, then the least expensive of Washington's 20 cities as listed in the report are Longview, Aberdeen, Othello, and Shelton with Moses Lake as the least expensive where the cost of ten common household bills is 16.5% below the National Average.

Bring Your Wallet

On the flip side, the report shows where you might need a few bucks more to cover your costs. The five most expensive cities for household bills in Washington are Bremerton, Oak Harbor, Olympia, and Bellingham with Seattle being the most expensive with household bills in the Emerald City averaging 35.2% above the national average. Seattle monthly costs are $2,553 which amounts to 356 dollars a month more than Yakima. In other words, you would need a raise of $4,272

The  Washington State Household Bill Report is 27 pages long with detailed infographics for all 20 cities and towns ranked. For more info on Yakima, check out the city level for Yakima.

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