Utility Cost FAQs

We currently cover selected cities and counties in multiple states (for example, parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas). Each city entry includes electric, water, sewer, and trash where we can document rates from official or authoritative sources. Over time we add more cities and states; if a utility component is missing, it will be clearly labeled as estimated or TBD.

In regulated or municipal areas, a single utility (investor-owned, municipal, or co-op) provides both supply and delivery; we use its published tariffs or typical-bill data to estimate a monthly bill at an assumed usage (often 1,000 kWh). In competitive (deregulated) areas, like much of Texas, a Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU) delivers power and charges a regulated delivery fee, while you choose a Retail Electric Provider (REP) for supply. For those cities we either show delivery-only or a clearly labeled estimate that combines TDU delivery with an average supply rate from public marketplace data. We always note when an estimate is “TDU + average supply” and recommend checking current offers on official comparison tools before making decisions.

A public utility is typically a municipal system, public authority, or co-op owned by a city, county, or its members. A private utility is usually an investor-owned company regulated by a state commission. Public utilities set rates via local ordinances or boards; private utilities file tariffs and rate cases with regulators. On your bill, the structure (base charge, energy/volume charge, riders, taxes) can look similar either way—our estimates focus on the rate design and published charges, not the ownership model. We label provider type and ownership on the Providers page.

We focus on four components: electric, water, sewer, and trash. Electric is usually base charge + per-kWh energy or a typical 1,000 kWh bill benchmark. Water uses base charge + per-1,000-gallon (or CCF) volume. Sewer may be flat, a percentage of water, or a capacity/commodity structure; we convert that to an estimated monthly amount. Trash is a monthly fee for curbside collection (often including recycling and yard waste). Each city page lists exactly what's included and links to the underlying sources. We do not include internet or TV in our estimates because plans, pricing, and availability vary widely by provider and location. Instead, we offer a free internet provider search by address so you can see which providers serve your location.

Our estimates use fixed assumed usage (for example, 1,000 kWh of electric and 5,000 gallons of water per month) so you can compare across cities. Your real bill depends on your usage, season, plan choice in deregulated markets, taxes, fees, riders, and local policies (stormwater fees, fuel adjustments, franchise fees, and more). We treat our numbers as comparison tools, not guarantees—always confirm current rates and fees on the utility’s or city’s website before budgeting or signing a contract.

We pull rates from official tariffs, PSC or commission reports, city ordinances, rate schedules, and provider pages. In competitive markets we may also reference public comparison tools (such as state Power to Choose sites or independent marketplaces) to approximate typical supply rates. Every utility component on a city page has a source name, URL, and “last verified” date, plus a confidence flag (confirmed or estimated) so you can see how strong the data is and when we last checked it.

Rates change at different times—some utilities adjust annually, others seasonally, and competitive-market plans can change daily. We update data when we re-verify sources or when users flag changes. The “last verified” date on each electric, water, sewer, and trash component shows how current that number is. We do not stream live rates; if timing is critical (for example, you’re about to move or switch providers), confirm current prices directly with the utility or via official comparison tools.

Yes. We prioritize areas where we can reasonably maintain accurate, sourced data. If you’d like us to add a city or you see something that looks off, use the Contact page to send links to official rate sheets or better sources. We’d rather mark a value as estimated or TBD than guess, and community feedback helps us improve coverage and accuracy over time.