🇺🇸 United States · Utilities
United States utilities
What it actually costs to live there.
CA $472
NY $514
TX $394
FL $372
IL $432
Select state (US)
5-state breakdown
Stage 1 data — California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois. The same country, five different bills.
| Item | CA | NY | TX | FL | IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | $160 | $144 | $165 | $177 | $122 |
| Natural gas | $77 | $130 | $34 | $5 | $88 |
| Water + sewer | $95 | $115 | $85 | $80 | $105 |
| Mobile phone | $40 | $40 | $40 | $40 | $40 |
| Internet | $80 | $85 | $70 | $75 | $77 |
| HOA fees (owner-occupied) | $300 | $250 | $200 | $400 | $200 |
| Total / month | $472 | $514 | $394 | $372 | $432 |
| % of median household income | 5.9% | 7.3% | 6.2% | 6.1% | 6.3% |
Monthly utilities (5 items + extras)
Average per household, official sources.
| Item | Avg / month | Range | Social mirror |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | $154 | $122—$177 | 30¢/kWh CA vs 14¢/kWh TX, but TX uses 2× the kWh — same monthly bill, opposite social systems. |
| Natural gas | $67 | $5—$200 | January Chicago 180 therm vs Miami 8 therm — climate is cost. Florida runs almost no gas. |
| Water + sewer | $96 | $80—$115 | NYC $115 vs Houston $85 — only 1.4× gap. Aging infrastructure costs more than abundant water. |
| Mobile phone | $40 | $15—$100 | Big 3 $80–100 vs MVNO $15–30. Same towers, 4× the price. 70% of Americans choose Big 3. |
| Internet | $77 | $60—$95 | 1.6 ISPs per zip code on average — quasi-monopoly. US average $77/mo = 3× Korea. |
| HOA fees (owner-occupied) ★ | $270 | $150—$1,500 | America's answer to Korea's 'management fee' — but private, not municipal. Manhattan condos run $1,500–2,500. |
By household type
Single · 4-person family · elderly couple.
| Household | Size | Avg total / month |
|---|---|---|
| single | 1 | $230 |
| family4 | 4 | $410 |
| elder | 2 | $320 |
Share of income (households × income tiers)
9-cell matrix: how much of your salary goes to utilities.
| low $2,500 | median $6,890 | high $12,500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| single | 9.2% | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| family4 | 16.4% | 6.0% | 3.3% |
| elder | 12.8% | 4.6% | 2.6% |
📚 Go deeper
Compare providers · Cultural context.
Sources
EIA + FCC + AWWA + Census ACS 2023