The Cost of Utilities: Which States Pay the Most?

by Colin Holmes, MOVE.org, October 29, 2018

Let’s face it: Nobody likes paying utility bills. They pop up each month and keep you from putting your paycheck toward more exciting areas of your budget, like your vacation fund or that cheese of the month club you’ve always wanted to join.

No matter what you’re saving for, utility bills are a burden we all have to bear. But which states’ residents bear the largest burden?

We crunched the numbers so you can see how the average monthly utility costs in your state stack up against the rest.

Factors we considered

We broke down each state’s utility costs into a few distinct categories:

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Internet
• Cable
• Water

To calculate electricity and natural gas costs, we multiplied average national consumption rates by the average cost for these services in each state—individual bills may vary depending on actual usage.

When determining internet costs, we look at a service level that included speeds of 60 Mbps, unlimited data, and Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL).

State-by-state information was unavailable for cable and water, so we used the national averages to supply those figures for each state.

Complete state rankings

We ranked all fifty states from most to least expensive average monthly utility costs. Take a look below to see where your state sits on our list.

#1: Hawaii

Life in Hawaii isn’t all fun in the sun.

The Aloha State’s utilities are upward of $200 more than the second most expensive state, Alaska, thanks largely to staggeringly high electricity and natural gas costs on the islands.

KITV: Those numbers may be a little too high 

KGI: Steady electricity rates