The cost of living is high in Mass. Here's where the South Shore ranks

Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger
·3 min read
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QUINCY − Just across the Neponset River from Boston, Quincy attracts people who work or play in the big city but want a more economical living situation. But while Quincy is more affordable than its neighbor to the north, it is in the top third of Massachusetts municipalities when it comes to money spent on household bills.

A recent study by doxo, a company that tries to simplify how consumers pay bills, ranks Quincy 46th among 154 Bay State towns and cities surveyed for average household expenses.

According to the report, Quincy households spend an average of $2,916 monthly on bills, which is 42.5% higher than the national average. Annually, Quincy residents spend more than $10,000 more on bills than the typical American.

The Center and Stone residential developments on Hancock Street in Quincy Center include the former Masonic Lodge, left, and a new building replacing a Citizens Bank. Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.
The Center and Stone residential developments on Hancock Street in Quincy Center include the former Masonic Lodge, left, and a new building replacing a Citizens Bank. Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.

The report analyzed household expenditures on mortgage or rent; auto loans; utilities (electricity, gas, water and sewer, waste and recycling); auto insurance; cable, internet and phone; health insurance (consumer contributions only); mobile phone; alarm and security; and life insurance.

As chronicled by The Patriot Ledger, housing is the main driver of increased costs in the City of Presidents. The doxo report says Quincy residents on average pay $2,382 monthly mortgage payments, which is 80% higher than the national average. They pay $1,754 a month on rent, 47.3% higher than average American household.

According to the report, 28% of Quincy's 101,727 residents make mortgage payments, while 54% pay rent.

The average Quincy household expense total is below the national average for monthly bills in these three areas: utilities ($336), life insurance ($85) and alarm and security bills ($66).

Boston won the unfortunate honor of most expensive Massachusetts city, with an average household expense of $3,962 a month, or 57% of the average household income.

On the South Shore, five towns ranked higher than Quincy: Milton (4), Hingham (5), Duxbury (32), Scituate (35) and Marshfield (42). Braintree and Weymouth came in at 75 and 106, respectively.

Milton residents pay more than $3,600 in monthly bills, but only 31% of their income. By comparison, Quincy resident pays 44% of their income on household bills. At $2,968 a month, mortgage payments contribute most to the high cost of living in Milton. That figure is about 125% more than the national average.

Relative to Quincy, few Milton residents rent. According to U.S. census data compiled from 2017 to 2021, 81.8% of Milton's housing stock is owner-occupied. In Quincy, only 43.8% of housing units are occupied by their owners.

In Hingham, 82.4% of housing units are owner-occupied. Though average monthly bills in Hingham add up to $3,528, they claim only 29% of incomes, on average. Like Milton, the key cost contributor is mortgage payments, at $3,345 a month, which is about 153% more than the national average.

The highest monthly bills are all in Greater Boston

  • Boston: $3,962 (57% of household income).

  • Needham: $3,699 (24% of household income)

  • Sudbury: $3,698, 23% of household income.

  • Milton: $3,604, 31% of household income.

  • Hingham: $3,528, 29% of household income.

It's cheaper in Western Massachusetts

If you want to stay in Massachusetts but would like lower monthly bills, you might want to go west. However, though the total expenses are lower, residents of some of these cities and towns still pay a relatively large percentage of average incomes. Here are the five cities with the lowest monthly bills:

  • Gardner: $1,901, 42% of household income.

  • Westfield: $1,802, 29% of household income.

  • Holyoke: $1,752, 49% of household income.

  • Greenfield: $1,650, 42% of household income.

  • North Adams: $1,545, 35% of household income.

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Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: How Quincy, South Shore rank in terms of monthly household bills