Just looked at some data on how much does a car cost per month across different states and honestly the variation is wild. Like, if you're buying a car with a $48k MSRP and 20% down, you're looking at around $762 monthly for the loan alone. But then throw in insurance, gas, maintenance and taxes? Total first-year ownership cost ranges from like $22k to $28k depending on where you live.

New Hampshire comes out cheapest at around $22,760 for the year - no state sales tax helps a lot there. Meanwhile California is hitting people with nearly $28,500 in year one costs. That's not even including registration fees since they vary so much by state.

The wild part is it's not always about gas prices. Like Nevada has the highest sales tax at 8.25%, which adds over $4k right there. Florida's insurance premiums are brutal - second highest in the country. Meanwhile states like Oregon and Montana skip sales tax entirely, which saves you thousands even if gas isn't the cheapest.

If you're actually calculating how much does a car cost per month, you gotta factor in all these hidden costs. Insurance alone ranges from $1,175 in Maine to $2,883 in Louisiana. Repairs average anywhere from $350 to $417 depending on the state. Makes you wonder if some people are just better off with used cars or public transit depending on where they live.