Owners Pay $24K Annually in Non-Mortgage Costs

ST. LOUIS — The typical American homeowner now spends an average of $24,529 annually, or $2,044 monthly, on home expenses in addition to their mortgage — up from $17,958 in 2024, according to new research from Real Estate Witch, an online publication owned by Clever Real Estate.

Over the course of a 30-year mortgage, this adds up to $735,870 on top of the mortgage's total cost. That's nearly as much as the typical household spends on the mortgage itself ($26,508 annually) and amounts to a $547 monthly increase from 2024.

The breakdown of these costs is:

• Utilities: $7,319
• Maintenance: $6,087
• Renovations: $5,762
• Property taxes: $3,057
• Homeowners insurance: $2,304

Compounding the issue, more than half of homeowners (51%) are stressed by rising home insurance costs and 13% worry they could lose insurance on their property — while 46% don't feel their property taxes accurately reflect their home's value.

Additionally, those in homeowners associations (HOAs) pay an extra $3,077 in annual HOA fees, bringing their total to $27,606 per year.

Four in 5 homeowners' (81%) expenses are higher than anticipated, and over two-thirds (69%) have regrets about their home and its associated costs.

Nearly half of homeowners (46%) say they didn't accurately estimate the cost of repairs and improvements before buying.

However, 46% also admit they don't actively budget for unexpected repairs — and a majority (59%) couldn't afford a $5,000 emergency repair without going into credit card debt.

In retrospect, 81% of homeowners would prefer a more expensive home with lower maintenance costs, and 48% would have approached the buying process differently if they knew the true cost of homeownership.

Some homeowners wonder if the cost of homeownership is worth it: 44% say it's easier to rent, and about 1 in 7 (15%) have even considered returning to renting.

Source: Real Estate Witch

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