Utility Costs by State: What State Has the Highest Utility Bills?

Utility costs by state: what state has the highest average utility bills? How much electricity, natural gas, water, cable and internet costs in each state.

If you’re thinking about moving to a different state to lower your cost of living, there are a lot of factors to consider. Typically, people look at the weather, school districts, job prospects, local culture, healthcare systems, property taxes and transportation.

The cost of utilities are often an afterthought. Most people assume there isn’t a huge variance in costs for similar services from state to state.

But they’re wrong. According to research on utility costs by Move.org, there is a $243.24 difference in monthly costs between the state with the most expensive and least expensive utility bills.

Average Utility Costs by State: Which State Has the Highest Utility Bills?

These are the average utility costs by state from most expensive to least expensive, according to Move.org:

Rank	State	Electricity	Natural Gas	Water	Internet	Cable	Total
1	Hawaii	$149.33	$223.07	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$587.79
2	Florida	$126.44	$117.57	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$459.40
3	South Carolina	$140.80	$94.32	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$450.51
4	Alabama	$142.55	$90.79	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$448.73
5	Georgia	$126.38	$99.33	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$441.10
6	Connecticut	$139.97	$84.67	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$440.03
7	Arizona	$128.40	$87.28	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$431.07
8	Delaware	$121.73	$83.41	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$420.53
9	Maryland	$131.16	$73.95	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$420.50
10	New Hampshire	$114.95	$88.83	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$419.17
11	Virginia	$124.54	$74.32	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$414.25
12	Texas	$122.47	$73.96	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$411.82
13	Massachusetts	$116.86	$78.86	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$411.11
14	Rhode Island	$105.76	$89.66	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$410.81
15	Missouri	$115.60	$76.55	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$407.54
16	Mississippi	$125.38	$66.20	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$406.97
17	Kentucky	$114.15	$75.11	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$404.65
18	Pennsylvania	$114.48	$73.14	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$403.01
19	Kansas	$114.65	$72.88	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$402.92
20	Alaska	$127.83	$59.02	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$402.24
21	Oklahoma	$110.27	$76.19	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$401.85
22	Tennessee	$123.30	$62.95	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$401.64
23	Louisiana	$115.54	$69.65	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$400.58
24	West Virginia	$119.30	$64.52	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$399.21
25	Maine	$87.21	$95.42	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$398.02
26	Ohio	$106.13	$76.11	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$397.63
27	North Carolina	$113.98	$67.87	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$397.24
28	Arkansas	$105.64	$76.18	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$397.21
29	New York	$103.22	$76.60	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$395.21
30	Vermont	$95.02	$81.40	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$391.81
31	Indiana	$114.04	$60.85	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$390.28
32	District of Columbia	$96.52	$71.14	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$383.05
33	South Dakota	$115.06	$51.29	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$381.74
34	Oregon	$103.26	$62.42	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$381.07
35	North Dakota	$109.38	$55.19	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$379.96
36	California	$101.49	$62.51	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$379.39
37	Iowa	$102.55	$61.28	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$379.22
38	Nebraska	$104.96	$57.36	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$377.71
39	Washington	$98.78	$59.20	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$373.37
40	Nevada	$102.29	$54.31	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$371.99
41	New Jersey	$102.38	$51.11	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$368.88
42	Wyoming	$97.10	$55.45	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$367.94
43	Minnesota	$97.58	$53.91	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$366.88
44	Michigan	$97.41	$50.64	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$363.44
45	Illinois	$89.63	$57.86	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$362.88
46	Wisconsin	$94.67	$49.74	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$359.80
47	Idaho	$100.38	$41.76	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$357.53
48	Montana	$94.75	$42.60	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$352.74
49	Colorado	$82.47	$50.57	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$348.43
50	Utah	$81.65	$47.99	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$345.03
51	New Mexico	$79.16	$50.00	$70.39	$60.00	$85.00	$344.55

How Were Average Utility Costs By State Calculated?

Move.org used figures from a variety of sources to come up with their rankings.

First, electricity costs were determined using average electricity consumption figures and pricing information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Then, natural gas bill costs were pulled from average gas usage and prices from TECO Energy.

To calculate water costs, Move.org found residential water usage information from Circle of Blue, then tracked down how much water costs from a separate Circle of Blue study. Finally, internet and cable pricing is based on research from the Leichtman Research Group as reported by USA Today.

How Can I Get a More Precise Estimate for Utility Costs?

Lists like these are helpful if you’re trying to get a general idea of what utility costs are like in certain states, but for those who are more serious about relocating to benefit from a lower cost of living, a bit more due diligence is required.

Once you’ve narrowed down your search to a specific neighborhood, figure out who the local utility service providers are through the town’s website, community boards, your realtor or the home seller.

Some utility service providers have tools that allow you to estimate costs of service directly through their website. Others, you’ll have to call their customer service number to get an estimate. In some cases, if you don’t have an address to give them or are unwilling to divulge personal information, you might not be able to get an accurate estimate. Either way, you’ll now know a bit more about the local utility service providers and be a step ahead if you end up deciding to relocate there.