The typical US homeowner now pays $16,566 a year for upkeep, taxes and insurance before the mortgage, a new Zillow and Thumbtack analysis found.
By the numbers: Maintenance accounts for $11,171 of the annual total, property taxes $3,129 and homeowners insurance $2,266. Together that works out to roughly $1,380 a month.
- Insurance premiums are up 54% over five years, well ahead of maintenance at 32% and property taxes at 19%.
Zoom in: Premiums have risen at least 50% in five years in 19 of the 30 metros studied, led by Dallas (75%), Tampa (71%), Denver (70%) and Houston (69%). Miami owners pay the most at nearly $5,000 a year.
- In Houston, Phoenix, Denver and Nashville, the typical homeowner now pays more each year for insurance than for property taxes.
The big picture: Totals swing hard by market. Hidden costs run $25,111 a year in New York, $24,383 in San Francisco and $22,096 in Boston, against $14,187 in Phoenix, the cheapest metro analyzed.
Yes, but: The pace is cooling. Overall hidden costs rose just 3% in the past year, and annual maintenance increases have shrunk every year from 9% in 2022 to 1% in 2026.
- Los Angeles was the exception, with maintenance up 27% year over year on wildfire recovery work, service demand and labor costs.
What they're saying: "Many households focus so much on winning the home and underestimate what it costs to live in it," Zillow senior economist Kara Ng said.
Why it matters: Get an insurance quote before you make an offer. Premiums vary enough by property that the quote can change what you can afford to bid, and maintenance is the biggest hidden cost in every metro studied.
