These are the 7 most expensive Middlesex County towns to live in

Most residents already know that it's expensive to live in Middlesex County.

But doxo , an app designed to help households manage their living expenses, has developed a Cost of Bills Index which compares the monthly cost of paying the 10 most common household bills – mortgage, rent, auto loan, utilities, home insurance, health insurance, life insurance, mobile phone, cable and alarm systems – with other communities. The index does not include the price of food.

The study found that:

• New Jersey is the fourth most expensive state in the country for household bills.
• The average New Jersey household pays $2,802 per month for those bills, or $33,672 per year.
• That’s 32% more than the national average, or $8,114.

The cost of living in Middlesex County is also expensive compared to the rest of the country:

• Middlesex is the 11th most expensive county in New Jersey.
• The average Middlesex County household pays $2,789 per month for those bills, or $33,466 per year.
• That's $7,954, or 31%, more than the annual national average.
• That amount is 31% of the county's average household income of $106,888.

More: These are the 7 most expensive Somerset County towns to live in

The most expensive towns in Middlesex County

• Metuchen, 42nd most expensive community in New Jersey, $3,171 per month.
• East Brunswick, 47th most expensive in the state, $3,139 per month.
• Plainsboro, 52nd most expensive, $3,111 per month.
• South Plainfield, 63rd most expensive, $3,064 per month.
• Dunellen, 65th most expensive, $3,050 per month.
• Monmouth Junction, 76th most expensive, $2,998 per month.
• North Brunswick, 86th most expensive, $2,947 per month.

Most communities in Middlesex County fall in the range of 80 to 130 with Carteret (191) and Sayreville (176) being the least expensive communities in the county at $2,442 and $2,543.

The most expensive community in New Jersey is Princeton, $4,530 per month. The least expensive is Manchester Township in Ocean County, $1,667.

The two most expensive counties in New Jersey are Morris, $3,377 per month, and Bergen, $3,123 per month. The least expensive is Salem, $2,192 per month.

Somerset ranks third among the counties at $3,123 with Hunterdon sixth among the counties at $3,033 and Union 10th at $2,790.

The numbers, however, may not be as distressing as they seem because the largest components of Middlesex County bills are for mortgage or rent.

If you exclude those costs, Middlesex County is surprisingly 2% below the national average.

And Middlesex County is 32% below the national average of the percentage of household income that goes toward paying the bills.

Ethan Mannello: EMannello@mycentraljersey.com

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: These are the 7 most expensive Middlesex County towns to live in