People in San Diego, Chula Vista, Carlsbad shoulder some of the highest monthly bills

People who live in the area encompassing San Diego, Carlsbad and Chula Vista spend 4.1 percent more on utilities and other monthly expenses than the average Californian, according to an online bill paying service.

DoxoInsights, a Seattle-based company, reports that residents in the area of those cities pay an average of $2,668 per month on common household expenses, such as electricity, rent, mortgage, cell phones and Internet.

That total cost eats up nearly 41 percent of the average household income earned in the area, according to doxo data, which takes into account average household income and the 10 most common bills and utilities people pay.

The San Diego area has the seventh highest monthly expense costs in the state and ranks No. 13 nationwide.

Data show households in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area have the highest expenses in California — paying an average of $3,151 each month, which is 67 percent more than the national average of $1,889.

The San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley region ranked No. 2, with households paying $3,080 per month, about 35 percent of the average income and 63 percent higher than the national average.

Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim residents pay about $2,750 each month, ranking No. 6 above the San Diego cities.

San Diego, along with most of the country, saw home costs spike during the coronavirus pandemic, peaking in the summer months.

In July, local home prices were up nearly 30 percent from the previous year, according to a September report from the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices. It was the second-fastest price increase in the country.

CoreLogic reported San Diego’s median home prices peaked in June at $749,750, an all-time high.

Median home price in San Diego County declined for the next two months but increased again to $740,000 last month as the number of homes for sale decreased sharply. Real-estate analysts said they do not anticipate a significant decline anytime soon.

Statewide, doxo reports Californian’s housing bills continue to drive the state’s higher than usual expenses, and the same holds true in San Diego.

The average mortgage for San Diego, Chula Vista and Carlsbad households is $2,468 — nearly twice as high as the national average of $1,279.

Doxo, an online service that allows members to aggregate and manage bills in one platform, also reports that San Diego residents spend about $1,678 on rent. Nationwide, the average rent is about $600 less.