Hidden homeowner costs climb to nearly $16K a year, new analysis finds

WASHINGTON — The hidden costs of owning a home have climbed to nearly $16,000 a year nationwide, rising faster than most household incomes, according to a new analysis from Zillow and Thumbtack.

The study estimates the typical homeowner now pays $15,979 annually, or about $1,325 a month, on expenses outside their mortgage. Those include roughly $10,946 in maintenance, $2,003 in homeowners insurance and $3,030 in property taxes. Together, those costs rose 4.7% over the past year, outpacing the 3.8% increase in household incomes during the same time period.

To calculate the rising costs, Zillow estimated local property taxes and insurance premiums, while Thumbtack calculated the annual cost of home maintenance based on real project data from homeowners and professionals. The maintenance