It does depend on the age and condition of the house. I bought a fixer-upper about 20 years ago. But just as an example, I spent $16K on a small bathroom remodel last year--which was partially aesthetics but there was definitely plumbing work that had to be done. Another $1K on carpeting that was really old and scruffy. $4K on major tree trimming/removal. That's more than a typical year but that's the sort of expenses I have.

This year I'll have some new windows put in to replace very old ones that look like complete crap.

Arguably some of that is optional but it's pretty typical for me. $1K/month seems like a reasonable estimate for me. I imagine that a newer house could well be less.