Who here has very cheap housing costs?

[Alchemisst]

And how did you get it so cheap/ what is the situation?

[pvnotp]

We bought our house for 104K in 2012.  Our monthly housing payment (PITI) is $774.  I suppose that is not very cheap, but it's at least regular cheap.  It's a nice house (1400 sq ft, 3br, 1.5 bath) on a fairly private 0.5 acre lot.  The price was low because it is in a fairly rural location.  Prior to moving here, my husband and I were paying the same amount monthly to rent a 1BR apartment.  Now we have more space, but we have to drive an extra 10 min to get anywhere, so we are paying for it in another way.

[Shane]

For the past nine months, our family of three's housing costs have been $0/month. In exchange for ~15hrs/week of labor (mowing, gardening, weeding, painting, washing windows, sweeping sidewalks, etc.) to help keep up the house and the 4 acre property where we live, we've got a nice, furnished, first floor apartment in a large old house in a really convenient location with all utilities included. We found this situation by just asking around to people we knew in a neighborhood where we lived on property we owned for close to 20 years. A friend of a friend responded to our email. After messaging back and forth a few times, we met up in person, and month later, we moved in.

[OtherJen]

Define “cheap.” Our monthly mortgage+home insurance+property tax payment for a 3-bed, 1-bath is $675 and has been for the last 15 years (30-year loan).

[FIREstache]

My ongoing housing cost is about $480/mo on average, but it can vary quite a bit month to month and year to year due to maintenance costs.  Property tax and insurance make up $400 of that.

What makes it so cheap is that I paid it off about 15 years ago and perform a lot of my own maintenance.

[golfreak12]

Sorry this doesn't deal with the current situation but I can't help but wonder my first housing situation.
I first bought my house back in 2004 from my brother for $140K near a university(UCF). My mortgage was $547 a month.
My sister was living with me during that time and she was a pharmacist and she ended up giving my $700/month. She figured if she went out and live by herself, it would cost her ~$1k so this was a good deal for her. My own house was basically free for me.
Even when she moved out and I got got married. It was just 1 income but $547 was nothing.
Paid that house off and renting it out now but if they ever move out I would renovate that house and maybe we will retire there. Still a decent neighborhood.

[YK-Phil]

I live in my truck camper...
Down by the river...

[shanghaiMMM]

$0 per month.

It's included in the package for international teachers. Great perk and handy for stashing.

[wenchsenior]

Raw numbers are that our current 15 year mortgage on a 3/2/2 house of just under 1600 sq. ft is $679/mo + ~$230/month for property taxes.

But that is pretty deceptive, b/c this current mortgage actually includes a big chunk of the cost of a second house that we pulled equity out of the first house to pay off during a refi. If it weren't for the second house we bought, we'd have our main house paid off by now. 

To get a more accurate view, back when we were paying on BOTH mortgages, they were both 30-year at higher rates.  The one for the 1600 sq ft 3/2/2 house was about 725$/month + 230$ property tax, and the second house (~1100 sq ft 2/1/1) had a mortgage of about 265$/month + ~140$/month property tax (that's right, the mortgage payment was not even twice as big as the property tax...kind of crazy!)

Why so cheap? We live in one of the most inexpensive housing markets in the country, for the size of the city.  Though, as I noted, property taxes are high.

[BookLoverL]

I live with my parents (I'm 25), which reduced my housing costs to £30 per week board. This works as a strategy if you get on reasonably well with your parents, they live somewhere you actually want to be, and they're happy for you to live with them. Cost may vary depending on your particular parents.

[Imma]

We bought our house for €80.000 a few years ago when prices were still recovering from the 2008-2013 housing market crash. Our 30-year 2,2% interest mortgage means our payment for our modest 3 bedrooms, 800 square foot home is about €300. We hardly pay any interest but that is tax deductible in our country. We pay about €75 a month in local taxes.

[Cranky]

We bought the very modest house we could afford 24 years ago, and then paid it off.

Taxes and insurance run us about $150/month.

[Adam Zapple]

I need to get the hell out of the Northeast US.

[Cool Friend]

I need to get the hell out of the Northeast US.

yo for real

[andy85]

not really cheap, but seems pretty reasonable...

PITI - 620
Electric/Gas - 130
Internet - 60
Water - 60

3br, 1ba, 950sq ft, oversized 2.5 car garage, cost 92k

[Greystache]

We live in a HCOL area (coastal SoCal) and our housing costs are about $580 per month for a 2200 sq. ft., 4bdrm, 2 bath house with an estimated value of $650K.  Current rents for a similar house are over $3k per month.  The key is we bought 25 years ago for $200K, have no mortgage, low property taxes and low utilities (mild climate and rooftop solar).

[Livingthedream55]

Northeast US:

$400 Property Taxes
$182 Mortgage (downsized to a smaller, cheaper house 3 years ago and have a tiny mortgage)
$45 Homeowner's Insurance

so $627 a month

[use2betrix]

My rent is around $1600 (plus utilities) for a 2 bed, 2 bath, nicely updated apartment with attached garage. We also have great amenities: Gym, Pool, Dog Park, etc.

Company pays me $4200/mo tax free per diem to cover “living expenses.”

I feel like I come out ahead.

[adamb]

rents have ranged from 490 to 900. I've lived in lcol (Milwaukee) to vhcol places (Boston) and the key is I've always had roommates. Some are friends, some are from Craigslist. Most work out well as long as you do your due diligence in getting to know them first.

I would love to have my own place but I'll need to find a life partner first to afford the places I want to live in long term :)

[ElleFiji]

My rent is under 1100. The same unit rents as high as 1700 in my building, and similar are hitting 2000 not far away

[mizzourah2006]

Sorry this doesn't deal with the current situation but I can't help but wonder my first housing situation.
I first bought my house back in 2004 from my brother for $140K near a university(UCF). My mortgage was $547 a month.
My sister was living with me during that time and she was a pharmacist and she ended up giving my $700/month. She figured if she went out and live by herself, it would cost her ~$1k so this was a good deal for her. My own house was basically free for me.
Even when she moved out and I got got married. It was just 1 income but $547 was nothing.
Paid that house off and renting it out now but if they ever move out I would renovate that house and maybe we will retire there. Still a decent neighborhood.

Curious how far that dipped in the 2011-2012 range. I went to UCF from 2007-2011 and I remember seeing houses plummet around there. I rented a house with a few guys off of Avalon Park that the owner was trying to sell for $675k in the summer of 2007, I think I saw it sell in like 2010 for $184k. Orlando got hit hard by the housing crash.


To the OP we pay $1,050 PITI for a 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home on a little over a third of an acre. Not exactly cheap, but not very expensive either. When we were living in Orlando our 1 bedroom apartment was $1k/month and in Pittsburgh we had a 3 bedroom duplex that we paid $950 for.

[LaineyAZ]

We charge my relative $300/month for a 1Bd/1Bath 1955 block house we own close to downtown Phoenix.  It's on almost 7,000 sq. feet property, so plenty of parking.  The rent is so cheap because we paid $29,000 cash for it as a foreclosure in the 2011 housing crisis.  It's also not been updated at all, so it will need a complete renovation for any future renters.

So, basically we just got lucky with timing.  I think current Zillow estimate is about $150,000 even in as-is condition.

[Parizade]

My 2 bedroom 1 bath condo (with garage) in a small rural town was only $30K (with newer windows, applicances, and HVAC).
HOA is $100/mo, property tax ~$80/mo, insurance ~$50/mo.
Utilities vary across the seasons but average $100/mo.

I work from home and will FIRE in a few weeks so I don't have any commute to factor in. Within 15 minutes I can walk to the grocery store, post office, community center, restaurant, hardware store, library, florist, and bar/bowling alley. A 30 minute walk will get me to the closest state bike trail (paved) and state park (with lake, swimming beach, campground, and rivers that are reknowned among paddlers). The bike trail will take me to the nearest large town (~20 miles) and M-F bus service will get me to the nearest small city. This makes owning a car optional.

Crime is nearly non-existent, illegal drug use and dealing among bored teenagers is the biggest concern. I get delicious organic meat, dairy, eggs, and produce from local farmers. Electricity here is all generated by local wind farms, we make more than we need and sell to surrounding counties.

Owning a condo makes travel simple, and my neighbors keep an eye on things while I'm gone.

Basically I'm in a Mustacian heaven here. Especially at this time of year, when the bluebells are blooming.

[mountain mustache]

I pay $500 a month, all utilities/internet included. I live in a good friends vacation home...so in exchange for cheap rent (literally 1/3 of what normal rent is here) I look after the place and they feel secure knowing someone is there every day. Of course it helps we were friends first, I don't think they'd offer this deal to just anyone. Through this situation I have learned that there are a lot of older, close to retired people around my town who would probably rent a cottage/room out to someone trustworthy if they are traveling a lot, and they value that person being there all the time more than any rent money they are actually getting. My "roommates" don't need my rent money, at all, but we both agree that it is a fair amount for me to pay, and I am happy to pay it for the use of a 3 bedroom house that is empty most of the time.

[rob in cal]

  Not sure if I qualify.  Bought house in 1998 for 172k, paid it off by 2004, so housing costs today are low property taxes of about 2500 a year, low insurance costs (high deductible), housing upkeep and repair. I do sometimes wonder where we'd be if I had just paid normal mortgage payments and invested the rest, but am glad to not have a big monthly bill for all these years.

[RyanAtTanagra]

I live on a sailboat.  Monthly costs are $540, water and electric included.  However, I actively sail my boat, so maintenance on average doubles that, but those are more activity/hobby costs.  If I just lived on the boat without sailing it, maintenance would be a lot less.

[Fish Sweet]

I rent in one of the most expensive cities/housing markets in the US, in a walkable area next to trendy neighborhoods and easy access to two major freeways.  My cost per month (not counting utilities) is about $520/month.  I also have 3 roommates and share a room (in a 2 bedroom apt), and been in this living arrangement since I graduated from college nearly a decade ago.

Over the years, a lot of people have asked me when I'm going to "grow up" and "get a room of my own," or made comments like "Yeah, maybe that works for you now, but when you get older you'll want some privacy" or "Oh my god, I could never do that, not for any amount of money!"

Well, I've saved over 40k in living costs alone with my current living arrangement, and since I haven't had a private room in the last nearly 15 years (dorms --> shared apartment living spaces), I've never had to deal with hedonic adaptation for more and more personal space.  Sure, it can be a bit of a hassle when we both want to shower at the same time, and being a considerate roommate takes more work than doing whatever the heck you want in your own space, but damn has it been worth it.

[esmith2039]

Our mortgage if we just pay the regular payment would be around $475. Taxes are $1k a year, insurance with the mortgage is $1.5k a year. I've heard it will go down once there's no mortgage. We live 4-5 miles from downtown Kansas City but stores are kinda lacking in the area, still need cars regardless. Overall I wished the houses would be further apart, if I arch it right I could pee on the neighbors house from our windows, but I like everything the area offers.

[LurkingMustache]

I do. Bought home for $245k, now appraised at $315k.  Has a mother in law suite (~700 sq ft) that I live in.  I rent out the house for ~2,000.  Pays for it all mostly. 

While I’ve distanced myself from the idea of real estate investing, this house purchase has ultimately been worth it.  Moved my housing costs to near $0, saved on taxes, have an asset being paid by someone else, and can expense upkeep repairs on the main house.

[LurkingMustache]

I live on a sailboat.  Monthly costs are $540, water and electric included.  However, I actively sail my boat, so maintenance on average doubles that, but those are more activity/hobby costs.  If I just lived on the boat without sailing it, maintenance would be a lot less.

Well this is fascinating.  How long have you been doing that for?  Do you enjoy it?  I assume yes?  I see you are in the Bay Area.  Do you have a regular job you commute in for?  How much sailing experience did you have before deciding to do this?

[RyanAtTanagra]

I live on a sailboat.  Monthly costs are $540, water and electric included.  However, I actively sail my boat, so maintenance on average doubles that, but those are more activity/hobby costs.  If I just lived on the boat without sailing it, maintenance would be a lot less.

Well this is fascinating.  How long have you been doing that for?  Do you enjoy it?  I assume yes?  I see you are in the Bay Area.  Do you have a regular job you commute in for?  How much sailing experience did you have before deciding to do this?

I've owned the boat for 3 years, been living on it full time for a year.  Started learning how to sail 5-6 years ago.  Yea I have a normal desk job (I work in IT) that's a 2.4 mile commute :-)

I have a journal here somewhere, I should update it.

Edited to add the journal:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/moving-onto-a-boat-an-experiment/

[Much Fishing to Do]

I pay $500 a month, all utilities/internet included. I live in a good friends vacation home...so in exchange for cheap rent (literally 1/3 of what normal rent is here) I look after the place and they feel secure knowing someone is there every day. Of course it helps we were friends first, I don't think they'd offer this deal to just anyone. Through this situation I have learned that there are a lot of older, close to retired people around my town who would probably rent a cottage/room out to someone trustworthy if they are traveling a lot, and they value that person being there all the time more than any rent money they are actually getting. My "roommates" don't need my rent money, at all, but we both agree that it is a fair amount for me to pay, and I am happy to pay it for the use of a 3 bedroom house that is empty most of the time.

I had just happened onto the other end of this and totally agree its great for both parties.  We inherited my father in laws house and while settling estate/fixing it up to sell or rent (and basically to buy the time for my wife to decide what she wanted to do, as that's a tough/big decision to make quickly during an emotional time when its the family home).  We were thrilled a good friend wanted to stay there for 6 months just to keep it from sitting empty (I picture a water pipe bursting, which without someone around turns a small problem into a disaster...)  They just paid the utilities (so cheap for them but saved those expenses from us given its in the north so I could not have just turned off the heat).  And they kept the place so clean and made little fixes (and discovered a couple of repairs we might not have noticed) both parties came out way ahead....

[totoro]

Zero.  We bought a triplex with 20% down, so there is some capital invested.  We live in one unit and the rents from the other two result in a net profit after all expenses including mortgage interest and our utility usage and lost ROI on the down payment.  The home has also appreciated 80% in the past seven years so the actual ROI on the down payment would be something like 500% in seven years plus the principal pay down paid by rents.

[marble_faun]

Compared to everyone else, my costs suddenly don't seem that cheap!  But for this area (urban northeast) we have a deal.

Our 2-bedroom apartment is about $1,000/mo, including utilities.  We are in a hip gentrified neighborhood where everyone else seems to be paying at least twice that much. Location is perfect: within walking distance of everywhere we need to go, including a nice waterfront area and a park where our dog can run around.

Why it's cheap: Our landlord is neglectful and lets the place decay.  The fixtures are cheap and poorly installed.  Our rotting porch was only replaced after a pizza guy who tripped and fell made comments like he might sue.

We are expecting a baby soon and need to get out of here, honestly.  We're just over this paradigm and want to own our own home.  But it's been financially a good deal these past few years.

[mountain mustache]

I pay $500 a month, all utilities/internet included. I live in a good friends vacation home...so in exchange for cheap rent (literally 1/3 of what normal rent is here) I look after the place and they feel secure knowing someone is there every day. Of course it helps we were friends first, I don't think they'd offer this deal to just anyone. Through this situation I have learned that there are a lot of older, close to retired people around my town who would probably rent a cottage/room out to someone trustworthy if they are traveling a lot, and they value that person being there all the time more than any rent money they are actually getting. My "roommates" don't need my rent money, at all, but we both agree that it is a fair amount for me to pay, and I am happy to pay it for the use of a 3 bedroom house that is empty most of the time.

I had just happened onto the other end of this and totally agree its great for both parties.  We inherited my father in laws house and while settling estate/fixing it up to sell or rent (and basically to buy the time for my wife to decide what she wanted to do, as that's a tough/big decision to make quickly during an emotional time when its the family home).  We were thrilled a good friend wanted to stay there for 6 months just to keep it from sitting empty (I picture a water pipe bursting, which without someone around turns a small problem into a disaster...)  They just paid the utilities (so cheap for them but saved those expenses from us given its in the north so I could not have just turned off the heat).  And they kept the place so clean and made little fixes (and discovered a couple of repairs we might not have noticed) both parties came out way ahead....

It's funny that you mention a water pipe bursting...one evening last year when my roommates were at their other home, I happened to be home when the adjoining townhouse to us had a pipe burst. I was cooking at the stove, and suddenly my feet were covered in water. Within 20 min I was able to go into the other townhouse (which is also a vacation rental, and was vacant), shut off the water, and prevent huge damage to our townhouse. The other unit was unfortunately not as lucky, but if I hadn't been there we would have had to do an entire lower level remodel. We ended up with new paint, and a few random small fixes, but nothing major. My roommates were so happy I was home! Because of the vacancy of the other townhouse, and my roommates not planning to be at this house for at least 2 weeks, I can't even imagine what kind of damage would have happened in that time frame.

[CheapScholar]

I got kind of lucky with housing.  I bought a foreclosure in IL where I’m originally from in 2010 for 129k.  I did some repairs, nothing major, and sold it for 169k in 2013.  I moved to Indiana and purchased a pretty nice home for 161k in 2013 and it’s now worth about 230k.  I was a beneficiary from the housing bubble in that respect.  I made money and then some serious equity.

I keep my property taxes low because I always appeal.  I throw in a bunch of legal language and sign my name with a JD and I don’t think the assessor feels it’s worth messing with me.  The county currently values my home at 175k.

My monthly bill for mortgage/insurance/taxes is $865 but I pay more against the loan.  It’s also a pretty nice house and I’m getting a great value.  Three bedrooms, a nice sized lot with plenty of trees.  Very good public schools.  I couldn’t have this in IL, at least not anywhere near this price point.

[spuggy]

We've just sold our house, so we're moving. We've been overpaying the mortgage for five years, so the normal payment was down to £430. We're moving into a rented house because we haven't found anywhere we'd like to buy yet, and the rent is £599 for a slightly smaller house than the one we have now (two bed, semi-detached). Most expensive my rent has ever been was £650, but that was in a different city - we've always tried to live in fairly cheap areas.

[TheInsuranceMan]

BFE Iowa
15 year mortgage - $367 a month, PITI
It's actually less than that, because our escrow went down, we just left the payment the same.

This would be a two story house, 3 bed, 2 bath, roughly 1400 sq ft total.  Double lot, oversized two car garage, and the one lot to the north of me is church parking on Sunday's, so it's like having a triple lot.  I back up to an alley way behind vacant old city buildings.  Pretty neat.

[JoJo]

I'm renting a room from a friend, paying $600 a month, includes all utilities and some meals.   I don't think he will charge me rent when I'm traveling - I'll be out of town about 5 months the rest of the year.

[Adam Zapple]

Northeast US:

$400 Property Taxes
$182 Mortgage (downsized to a smaller, cheaper house 3 years ago and have a tiny mortgage)
$45 Homeowner's Insurance

so $627 a month

OK I need to get the hell out of NYC suburbs. 

[golfreak12]

Sorry this doesn't deal with the current situation but I can't help but wonder my first housing situation.
I first bought my house back in 2004 from my brother for $140K near a university(UCF). My mortgage was $547 a month.
My sister was living with me during that time and she was a pharmacist and she ended up giving my $700/month. She figured if she went out and live by herself, it would cost her ~$1k so this was a good deal for her. My own house was basically free for me.
Even when she moved out and I got got married. It was just 1 income but $547 was nothing.
Paid that house off and renting it out now but if they ever move out I would renovate that house and maybe we will retire there. Still a decent neighborhood.

Curious how far that dipped in the 2011-2012 range. I went to UCF from 2007-2011 and I remember seeing houses plummet around there. I rented a house with a few guys off of Avalon Park that the owner was trying to sell for $675k in the summer of 2007, I think I saw it sell in like 2010 for $184k. Orlando got hit hard by the housing crash.

Sure. All the houses in my neighborhood was built around the 80's.
The house was actually $150k but since I bought from my brother we had it officially at $140k.
I remembered when the appraiser went and checked out the house he asked me what I thought the house was worth and I told him $200k. The document did list the house value at $200K.  I got it cheap cause it used to belong to my parents and my mom convinced my brother to sell it to me for $150k.
When the bottom dropped, that house was around $78k at its lowest point on zillow.
Some of the houses in my neighborhood were on sale for $60K++.
Looking back had I bought 2 more around $80k. I'd be retired by now.
All these houses are being rented out for $1500++/month.
That house is probably worth around $215k right now.

I must add that since the bottom dropped in 2010, my property taxes were at its lowest ~$1000/yr.
Even when it started going back up, because its a primary resident, it could only go up at most 3% per year.
That house is now $2100 in property tax now.

[kristof]

I rent in one of the most expensive cities/housing markets in the US, in a walkable area next to trendy neighborhoods and easy access to two major freeways.  My cost per month (not counting utilities) is about $520/month.  I also have 3 roommates and share a room (in a 2 bedroom apt), and been in this living arrangement since I graduated from college nearly a decade ago.

Over the years, a lot of people have asked me when I'm going to "grow up" and "get a room of my own," or made comments like "Yeah, maybe that works for you now, but when you get older you'll want some privacy" or "Oh my god, I could never do that, not for any amount of money!"

Well, I've saved over 40k in living costs alone with my current living arrangement, and since I haven't had a private room in the last nearly 15 years (dorms --> shared apartment living spaces), I've never had to deal with hedonic adaptation for more and more personal space.  Sure, it can be a bit of a hassle when we both want to shower at the same time, and being a considerate roommate takes more work than doing whatever the heck you want in your own space, but damn has it been worth it.

I have a similar setup, live in a HCOL city and have been renting the same spacious 4-br apartment in a great location for the last ten years, which has allowed me to build up a lot of trust with the owner. They rent it to me a chunk below market since it's been a great deal for them as they haven't had to look for tenants for a decade, and know that I'm even pickier than they would be about who lives here.

Not as hardcore as you (I have my own room and everything! although it's pretty much a shoebox) and I sublet to my roommates slightly below market so my total cost including utilities is around $350-$400/month.

All that said, with the right people I much prefer this arrangement to living by myself, so I would live this way even if the costs were the same. I've made countless friends and have a ton of great memories because of this place.

[Not Sure]

My wife and I spent $961 in housing last year not including utilities.  All of that is for maintenance and repairs. 

This sweet deal is possible because we bought a small house at the bottom of the market and own it outright.  It's been an amazing blessing.

[Metalcat]

I just bought one of the cheapest properties in my entire city.

It's not low cost compared to many forum members, but it's absolutely dirt cheap relative to typical housing costs here, and it's essentially my dream home.

It's less than a 3rd of the average home cost in my city, but it offers a lot of luxury for my particular needs.

[Dicey]

  Not sure if I qualify.  Bought house in 1998 for 172k, paid it off by 2004, so housing costs today are low property taxes of about 2500 a year, low insurance costs (high deductible), housing upkeep and repair. I do sometimes wonder where we'd be if I had just paid normal mortgage payments and invested the rest, but am glad to not have a big monthly bill for all these years.

If you invested what you were "saving" each month, of course you would qualify. If you threw all your money at the mortgage instead of filling every retirement bucket that was available to you, the answer would be fuzzier. If you spent it all on hookers and blow, the answer would be easier.

[FreelanceToFreedom]

For 2018, around $1000/mo for an apartment rent + utilities, split with SO. MCOL area in WA.

For 2019 - I have no idea! We're trying out a nomadic/digital nomad lifestyle for 2019, working online as we go. So far housing costs have averaged $550 a month (Eastern Europe, Airbnbs mostly + moving every 1-3 weeks), but the average will go down as we'll be spending a lot of time house sitting, camping and couchsurfing this summer/fall. Then again, we'll be in Hawaii for a few weeks, so it'll all balance out.

I imagine we'll be somewhere around $400-$600/mo at the end of the year, but it really depends on where in the world we end up + how much time we spend housesitting, crashing with family/friends, etc.

Ultimately the goal is to enjoy life more, not necessarily to save money - but I think it'll be pretty easy to save money at the same time.

[iluvzbeach]

We spend about $535/month on property tax, insurance and utilities for our paid off 500K three year old house. We live in a M/HCOL area in the PNW with fabulous weather, mountains, rivers, wineries and redwoods all within minutes/easy drive of where we live. We’re in a totally walkable town and put very few miles on our 14-year old vehicle. It’s amazing how the paid for house and older (paid for) vehicle have allowed us to just throw piles of money toward our ‘stashe.

[RyanAtTanagra]

This sweet deal is possible because we bought a small house at the bottom of the market and own it outright.

Maybe getting too complicated for this thread, but I would add opportunity cost of not having a mortgage to the housing cost.  It's easy (well, not easy obviously), to force a low cost of living by paying a lot of cash upfront.

[Not Sure]

My wife and I spent $961 in housing last year not including utilities.  All of that is for maintenance and repairs. 

This sweet deal is possible because we bought a small house at the bottom of the market and own it outright.  It's been an amazing blessing.

Do you pay property taxes and insurance? I personally had very low prop taxes and insurance costs on my paid off home but I know that for some people those cost a huge amount each year.

You're right! Sorry, I forgot to add that as I file it under taxes rather than housing.  We also payed $167 in property tax last year.    Utilities were $2,924 including Internet and cell phones.  We choose not to carry homeowners insurance. 

Similar to the noted opportunity cost of not having a mortgage our utilities are exceptionally low because we have an expensive photovoltaic system that is already paid for.

[Firehazard]

We pay about $310/mo for taxes and insurance.  2,650 sf home in the burbs.