These are the 6 most expensive Mercer County towns to live in

Most residents already know that it's expensive to live in Mercer 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 Mercer County is also expensive compared to the rest of the country:

• Mercer County is the 12th most expensive county in New Jersey.
• The average Mercer County household pays $2,775 per month for those bills, or $33,301 per year.
• That's $7,788, or 31%, more than the annual national average.
• That amount is 32% of the county's average household income of $105,416.

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

The most expensive towns in Mercer County

• Princeton, most expensive community in New Jersey, $4,530 per month.
• Princeton Junction, third most expensive in the state, $3,845 per month.
• Robbinsville, 21st most expensive, $3,451 per month.
• Lawrence Township, 72nd most expensive, $3,018 per month.
• Hightstown, 112th most expensive, 2,781 per month.
• Trenton, 199th most expensive, 2,384 per month.

The least expensive community in New Jersey 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, Middlesex 11th at $2,789 and Union at $2,790.

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

If you exclude those costs, Mercer County is only 9% above the national average.

And Mercer County is 22% 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 6 most expensive Mercer County towns to live in