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Costliest car-ownership cities
Where you live can add thousands to your car ownership costs.
October 20, 2005: 10:52 AM EDT
By Les Christie, CNN/Money staff writer
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - It costs more to own a car in Detroit, an amazing $11,844 a year for a mid-sized sedan, than in any other city in the country, according to a new report comparing the cost of car ownership in various a U.S. cities.

Released Friday by Runzheimer International, a management consulting firm specializing in transportation reimbursement, the survey revealed that insurance, at $5,162 annually for liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, is the biggest single reason that maintaining a car in the Motor City is so expensive.

Runzheimer calculates costs based on a fully loaded 2006 Ford Five Hundred SEL with a 3.0 liter, 6-cylinder engine. The calculation also assumes that the car is driven an average of 15,000 miles for four years within a 50 mile-radius of the city.

Philadelphians would pay nearly as much, $10,672 with $4,142 going to pay for insurance, as would Los Angelenos, at $10,361, including insurance costs of $3,225.

The same car would cost just $7,399 a year in Knoxville, Tennessee., a savings of $4,445 compared with Detroit.

Maintenance costs also vary quite widely, from a high of 7.35 cents-per-mile in San Francisco to a low of 4.69 cents-per-mile in Bismarck, North Dakota.

This list shows the car ownership costs of selected cities from around the country:

Detroit -- $11,844

Philadelphia -- $10,672

Los Angeles -- $10,361

Boston -- $9,660

Miami -- $9,216

Baltimore -- $9,125

Denver -- $8,949

Houston -- $8,467

Topeka, KS -- $8,078

Grand Forks, ND -- $7,423

Sioux Falls, SD -- $7,401

Knoxville, TN -- $7,399

Sioux Falls is one of MONEY magazine's and CNN/Money's Best places to live. Click here for a snapshot of that city.

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