A report from online-bill-payment company Doxo released in November found Athens ranked 73rd most expensive out of 247 cities in Ohio.
Also, Athens has a cost of bills index, the cost of living relating to household bills compared between two places, of 91%, which is 9% less than the national average. Ohio’s average COBI is 88% placing Athens’ COBI 3% higher than the national average.
On average in the U.S., a household pays $4,298 on bills. However, in Athens, the average household pays 1,870, which is $2,268 less than the national average.
Mary Ann Welsh, an Athens resident who moved to the area when she was 10 and returned later for work, said living in Athens is expensive.
According to a report from the Athens County Foundation, Athens County is one of five Appalachian counties in Ohio classified as economically distressed. In addition, the county is ranked 86 out of 88 in terms of per capita income in Ohio.
Welsh found she was paying less taxes when she lived in Dublin, Ohio compared to living in The Plains.
“The property taxes are high, but that comes along when you have university land,” Welsh said. “They don't pay taxes, so that burden for all the services we get from Athens falls on people that own land.”
A vast majority of private and public universities are tax-exempt due to their educational purpose. Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) states organizations are exempt if they advance education or science.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported in 2023 the median household income in Athens was $53,837. The median household income of $80,610 for the U.S. as a whole was found to be $26,773 higher than the median income in Athens.
Welsh said the wage gap between Athens and other parts of Ohio is growing.
“After I came down and got a job here, I took a $9,000 pay cut,” Welsh said. “I recently just looked at the difference from where I was teaching to where I am. That gap has gotten wider the longer I was here.”
Welsh thinks it is currently impossible to find a low-priced home in Athens. She said a lot of people live outside of Athens in places such as New Albany and The Plains.
According to Doxo, the average mortgage bill in Athens was $1,210 per month and $1,402 per month in the U.S.
The cost of a rental in Athens can range from $824 to $1,540 depending on the number of bedrooms, according to the Office of Policy Development and Research.
Josh Thomas, an owner of Brenen’s Coffee Cafe, has been a resident of Athens since starting college in 1993. He said a lot of people choose to live outside of Athens because of the lack of newer homes.
In addition, Thomas said one reason for the high property tax is that Athens needs to provide city services to fund its passing levies.
“Athens county continues to be a fairly liberal county in the sense that when we do have things that come up on our ballots … and we pass them every time,” Thomas said. “We rarely fail because we were sort of a progressive community, but that adds to more taxes.”
In the November election, five levies were passed. According to previous reports from The Post, Athens Levy 17, which supports local library services was passed, and Levies 19, 20, 21 and 22 were renewed. Over $5 million annually will be collected from its residents from these five levies alone.
“We've always kind of been that blue,” Thomas said. “I think there's a number of people that enjoy that, and they want to live in this area because they do enjoy that.”
Although prices are high, Thomas chooses to stay in Athens due to the small-town feel and the town’s opportunities.
“It's just that little bit of a smaller town feel where you know a lot of people, and you can be involved in a lot of things,” Thomas said. “My wife got involved in the schools a little bit. We both got involved in the city a little bit. It just kind of makes a great community.”
