For the second year in a row, New York is the state with the highest mortgage-related fees in Bankrate.com's annual closing costs comparison survey.

New York's high title and settlement costs lifted the state well above No. 2 Texas. The Lone Star State was followed in the top five by Hawaii, Ohio and Florida.

Home buyers in Missouri pay the lowest closing costs, according to this year's study. The Show Me State was followed by Michigan, New Hampshire and Montana. Wyoming, which was last year's lowest-cost state, was fifth-lowest this year.

The difference between New York and Missouri was $1,174 in this year's survey.  That's a hefty sum to first-time buyers who typically scrimp to save for a down payment and closing costs.

The average cost: $3,024
Lender, title and settlement fees totaled an average of $3,024. The median cost was $2,978, meaning that in half the states, they totaled more than that. These figures don't include county recording fees or recurring costs such as homeowners insurance, property taxes, homeowner association dues or prorated mortgage payments.

No matter where you live, the key to getting a good mortgage deal is to shop around. A smart borrower in Buffalo, N.Y., who asks sharp questions of two or more lenders might get a better deal than someone in St. Louis who passively accepts the first offer.

"Just ask questions," says Jessica Cecere, director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service in West Palm Beach, Fla. "Ask, 'What's this? What's that? Why is this fee so high?'"

And keep in mind that the first tally of closing costs that you get, called the good faith estimate, is just that -- an estimate. In many cases it is revised at least once, and then again within a day or two of closing. That last document, called the HUD-1 statement, is almost always more accurate than the initial good faith estimate.

Survey methodology
For this year's annual closing costs survey, Bankrate.com obtained eight to 10 good faith estimates in each state from the Web sites of online lenders. Researchers picked a ZIP code in the biggest city in each state (with one exception) and requested information on the closing costs for a $200,000 loan there. They requested fees on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage for a borrower with a 20-percent down payment and good credit to buy a single-family house.

Bankrate substituted Buffalo, N.Y., for New York City because the Big Apple is unique. Washington, D.C., was included in the survey, for a total of 51 geographic entities.

Closing costs can be divided into three categories. The first is loan fees, which are charged by the lender. The second is title and settlement fees charged by parties other than the lender. The third category is taxes and prepaid items, such as homeowners insurance, association fees and prorated interest. Bankrate's survey includes loan fees and title, and settlement costs, not taxes and prepaid items, although there are certain taxes that are baked into the numbers in some states.