These States Have the Highest Hidden Home Ownership Costs

The average cost of owning and maintaining a home has jumped up by 26% since 2020.

Bankrate released a report on Monday that reveals the “hidden costs” of homeownership factoring in several factors, including average property taxes, homeowners insurance, home maintenance, and utility bills.

“Everything has gotten more expensive in the past four years,” Bankrate researchers wrote, pointing out that home prices have increased by 40% since the start of the pandemic.

Home upkeep costs have increased from $14,428 per year or $1,202 per month in 2020 to $18,118 a year or $1,510 per month in 2024 — on top of a monthly mortgage payment.

Hawaii takes the top spot with the high typical price of a single-family home ($993,000) driving up estimated maintenance costs. According to Best Place, the cost of living in Hawaii is 65.7% higher than the U.S. average.

While the usual suspects such as California and Massachusetts rounded out the top five, there were some surprising entrants — New Hampshire, for example, came in at No. 7 with average annual hidden costs of $23,256.

Related: These Are the 10 Most Expensive States to Be a Homeowner in the U.S.

Here are the 10 states with the highest hidden homeownership costs.

1. Hawaii

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $29,015

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 38%

2. California

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $28,790

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 32%

3. Massachusetts

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $26,313

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 28%

4. New Jersey

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $25,573

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 25%

5. Connecticut

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $23,515

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 24%

6. Washington

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $23,365

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 32%

7. New Hampshire

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $23,256

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 29%

8. New York

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $22,807

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 25%

9. Rhode Island

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $21,994

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 27%

10. Colorado

Average annual hidden homeownership costs in 2024: $21,038

Percent difference from 2020 to 2024: 33%