Fixed expenses examples: 26 bills that stay the same
A plain list of what counts, sorted by where the money goes, with a straight answer on the gray ones like utilities and the phone bill.
Checked October 22, 2026
What counts as a fixed expense
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes fixed expenses as bills and similar costs that are due every month and usually come to the same amount. Variable expenses, it says, differ in amount from one month to the next. So there are two tests: does it come on a schedule, and could you write the number down in January and be right in June?
Below are 26 examples, grouped by where the money goes. For the plain definition, see what a fixed expense is.
Housing
The biggest fixed expense for most people, and the one the rest is planned around.
- Rent (fixed). Set by the lease until renewal.
- Mortgage payment (fixed). Principal and interest stay the same on a fixed-rate loan. Taxes and insurance paid through the loan can change.
- HOA or condo dues (fixed). A set amount, though the board can raise it.
- Renters or homeowners insurance (fixed). A premium, often billed monthly or once a year.
- Property tax paid on its own (fixed). The same bill each time, but it comes once or twice a year.
Transport
The payment is fixed. The fuel and repairs around it are not.
- Car payment (fixed). Same amount until the loan is paid off.
- Car insurance (fixed). A premium that changes only at renewal.
- Transit pass (fixed). A monthly pass costs the same however often you ride.
- Parking spot or permit (fixed). A flat monthly or yearly price.
Insurance and health
Premiums are fixed. What you pay when you use care is not.
- Health insurance premium (fixed). Taken from pay or billed each month.
- Life or disability insurance (fixed). A set premium.
- Medical bills, copays, prescriptions (variable). Change with how much care you use.
Debt
Minimums are fixed. Anything extra you choose to pay is up to you.
- Student loan payment (fixed). A set amount on most plans.
- Personal loan payment (fixed). The same amount until it ends.
- Minimum credit card payment (gray). The minimum moves with the balance, so it is only steady if the balance is.
Subscriptions and phone
Small on their own, steady enough to add up.
- Streaming services (fixed). A set price, until the service raises it.
- Gym membership (fixed). A flat monthly fee.
- Phone plan (gray). The plan is fixed. Overages and device payments may not be.
- Home internet (fixed). A set monthly price, though promotions end.
- Software and app subscriptions (fixed). Billed monthly or yearly at one price.
Family and saving
Things that do not feel like bills but behave like them.
- Childcare or tuition (fixed). A set rate per month or term.
- Child support or alimony (fixed). Set by an order or agreement.
- Automatic transfer to savings (fixed). Not a bill, but the same amount on the same day.
The ones that look fixed and are not
These are needs, and you pay them every month. The amount is what moves.
- Electric, gas and water (gray). The CFPB's own example of a bill that can be fixed and variable at once, since the amount depends on use.
- Groceries (variable). A need, but the total moves.
- Gas for the car (variable). Moves with miles and price.
Fixed or variable? The examples side by side
| Example | Fixed or variable |
|---|---|
| Rent | Fixed |
| Mortgage payment | Fixed |
| HOA or condo dues | Fixed |
| Renters or homeowners insurance | Fixed |
| Property tax paid on its own | Fixed |
| Car payment | Fixed |
| Car insurance | Fixed |
| Transit pass | Fixed |
| Parking spot or permit | Fixed |
| Health insurance premium | Fixed |
| Life or disability insurance | Fixed |
| Medical bills, copays, prescriptions | Variable |
| Student loan payment | Fixed |
| Personal loan payment | Fixed |
| Minimum credit card payment | Gray: a bit of both |
| Streaming services | Fixed |
| Gym membership | Fixed |
| Phone plan | Gray: a bit of both |
| Home internet | Fixed |
| Software and app subscriptions | Fixed |
| Childcare or tuition | Fixed |
| Child support or alimony | Fixed |
| Automatic transfer to savings | Fixed |
| Electric, gas and water | Gray: a bit of both |
| Groceries | Variable |
| Gas for the car | Variable |
The gray ones: utilities, phone and minimum payments
Utilities. The CFPB uses a utility bill as its example of a fixed expense that can also be variable, since the amount depends on how much you use. Heat in January and air conditioning in July are not the same bill. Plan these as an average of the last few months and compare as the month goes on.
Phone. The plan is a fixed price. A phone you are paying off, data overages or international charges are separate lines. If your bill is always the same number, call it fixed. If it jumps, split it.
Credit card minimums. The payment you must make is a bill, but it shrinks and grows with the balance. It acts fixed only while the balance holds still.
A good rule for the rest: fixed does not mean never changes. Rent goes up at renewal and an insurer can change a premium. It means steady enough to plan around until it changes.
Why it helps to list them first
Fixed expenses are the part of a budget with nothing to guess, and the part that is hardest to change in a hurry. Add them up first and what is left is the money you can steer. For two people, they are also the easy ones to share by a rule instead of a running tally. See how to split bills based on income or try the fair split calculator. To see them in a whole month, read the budget examples.
Questions people ask
What are examples of fixed expenses?
Rent, a mortgage payment, a car payment, car insurance, a health insurance premium, a student loan payment, a phone plan, internet, a gym membership and childcare tuition are the usual ones. Each comes on a schedule at about the same amount.
Is a utility bill a fixed expense?
The CFPB uses a utility bill as its example of a fixed expense that can also be variable, since the amount depends on how much you use. One way to plan it is as a variable one, using an average, unless your utility has you on a flat monthly plan.
Are groceries a fixed expense?
No. You have to eat, but the amount changes month to month, so groceries are a variable expense. They are a need, which is a different question from fixed or variable.
Is a phone bill fixed or variable?
A plan with a set monthly price is fixed. If you also pay for overages, device payments that end or a bill that changes with usage, the plan part is fixed and the rest varies.
Is saving a fixed expense?
The CFPB's description of fixed expenses is about bills, and saving is not one. But an automatic transfer of the same amount on the same day behaves like one, which is why many people schedule it first.
What is the difference between fixed and variable expenses?
The CFPB describes fixed expenses as bills and similar costs due every month that usually come to the same amount, and variable expenses as costs whose amount differs from one month to the next.
Sources
1 source · read October 22, 2026
Every number on this page comes from consumerfinance.gov. If a source has changed since, the source is right.
Wonderful gives general information. It isn't a financial or tax advisor.