Suburban Excess

To many, the suburbs represent a chance to escape expensive city living. But that all depends on which suburb you choose. While you might not spend as much on taxis or parking, many suburbs can be just as, if not more, expensive as the city you left—especially if you want Wisteria Lane-like homes, strong schools and parks and recreation departments, and carefully mowed lawns. The recession has only made things harder as residents struggle to pay mortgages in the face of job losses and shrinking stock portfolios. BusinessWeek worked with data analytics firm OnBoard to identify the suburbs in each state where such expenses as mortgage and utility payments, clothing, food and beverage, property taxes, health care, and home prices were the highest. To see if your suburb made the list, read on.

Editor's Note: BusinessWeek's list of the Most Expensive Suburbs to Live In Now was calculated by weighing several factors: cost of living, nonretail expenditures (mortgage and utility payments), median home price, and median property tax.

The result was reached by taking a weighted average of nonretail expenditures (50%), cost of living (30%), median home price (10%), and median property tax (10%). In some states, property tax and median home sale information were not available, in which case we gave nonretail expenditures a 60% weight and cost of living a 40% weight. If either the median property tax or median home price was unavailable, we gave the other measure a 20% weight.

The nonretail expenditures index factors in expenses such as mortgage payments and utility payments and compares it to the state average. The cost-of-living index factors in spending on such expenses as education, entertainment, food and beverage, health care, insurance, and clothing and compares it to the state average. All indexes are 2009 estimates based on an end-of-2008 Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. The indexes in the slide show refer to the percentage above the state average for cost of living and nonretail spending.

Top 10 Most Populous States

California
Atherton
Median home price: $3.8 million
Cost-of-living index: 206%
Nonretail spending index: 209%
Location: about 10 miles northwest of Stanford
Population: 7,059

Atherton, a community of mansions with one-acre lots located between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean, has the highest net income in the country. It's the home of Google (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt and Charles Schwab, the founder of the brokerage of the same name (SCHW).

Texas
Highland Park
Median home price: $937,500
Cost-of-living index: 245%
Nonretail spending index: 248%
Location: about 5 miles north of Dallas
Population: 9,075

Located just north of Dallas, Highland Park is known for its beautiful architecture, parks, and tree-lined streets. The Dallas Country Club is located in Highland Park.

New York
Scarsdale
Median home price: $1.23 million
Cost-of-living index: 122%
Nonretail spending index: 126%
Location: about 20 miles northeast of Manhattan
Population: 17,681

Scarsdale is an affluent bedroom community for New York commuters. Its public school district is known as one of the best in the country, and alumni include Linda McCartney, the late wife of Beatle Paul McCartney.

Florida
Pinecrest
Median home price: 767,650
Cost-of-living index: 152%
Nonretail spending index: 155%
Location: about 15 miles south of Miami
Population: 19,396

Pinecrest, once home to the world-famous Parrot Jungle animal theme park, is popular for its large lots, natural beauty, and close proximity to Miami.

Illinois
Winnetka
Median home price: $1.06 million
Cost-of-living index: 201%
Nonretail spending index: 204%
Location: about 20 miles north of Chicago
Population: 12,113

Winnetka, located on the shores of Lake Michigan, has four public beaches, a boat launch, a public golf course, and forest preserve areas. Its public schools are among the best in the state.

Pennsylvania
Radnor Township
Median home price: $523,500
Cost-of-living index: 84%
Nonretail spending index: 85%
Location: 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia
Population: 31,586

Radnor, home of Villanova University and industrial gas company Airgas, is a affluent community within commuting distance of Philadelphia. The community's amenities include the nature trails within the three-acre Radnor Nature Park.

Ohio
Hudson
Median home price: $287,400
Cost-of-living index: 102%
Nonretail spending index: 104%
Location: about 30 miles south of Cleveland
Population: 22,052

The Cleveland suburb, founded in the 18th century, has a shopping district listed on the National Register of Historic Places featuring a century-old clock tower and brick-face shops, restaurants, and other businesses.

Michigan
Bloomfield Township
Median home price: $260,750
Cost-of-living index: 106%
Nonretail spending index: 108%
Location: about 25 miles northwest of Detroit
Population: 41,429

The wealthy suburb of Detroit is dotted with lakes and ball fields. Its Oakland Hills Country Club was the site of the 2008 PGA Championship.

Georgia
Dunwoody
Median home price: $350,000
Cost-of-living index: 67%
Nonretail spending index: 68%
Location: about 17 miles north of Atlanta
Population: 37,997

This wealthy suburb is popular with commuters, many of whom take the rapid-transit train to Atlanta. Dunwoody is home to Perimeter shopping mall and was the childhood home of American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.

North Carolina
Cornelius
Median home price: $206,000
Cost-of-living index: 72%
Nonretail spending index: 73%
Location: about 19 miles north of Charlotte
Population: 18,013

The Charlotte suburb is home to NBA basketball players, NASCAR drivers, bankers, and other executives, many of whom live in mansions along Lake Norman. The area also is a popular second-home condo destination.