Average Utility Costs in Iowa
Typical monthly utility costs in Iowa are about $200.46/mo, based on 1,000 kWh of electricity and 5,000 gallons of water (plus sewer and trash where available). Compare Iowa cities below to find cheaper vs more expensive areas.
Electric: All of our Iowa cities except Ames and Dubuque are served by MidAmerican Energy and share the same electric rates. Ames uses municipal (City of Ames) electric; Dubuque uses Alliant Energy (Interstate Power and Light).
Average Monthly Utility Costs in Iowa
The average utility bill in Iowa is estimated at $200.46 per month, a typical total assembled from median city estimates for electricity, water, sewer, and trash. To reflect a more typical bill across cities (and reduce the impact of outliers), these "average" values use the median of city estimates.
Assumptions: 1,000 kWh/month and 5,000 gallons/month (where applicable). "Average" values represent the median city estimate; water/sewer/trash medians exclude $0 entries when service or published rates vary by address. Actual bills vary by usage, fees, and provider.
Check Internet pricing & availability in Iowa
Internet service varies widely—many providers, different plans, introductory offers, and bundles make it hard to compare apples to apples. That's why we don't estimate internet on this page like we do for electric, water, sewer, and trash. Use our tool to compare providers for your address or ZIP code.
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Utility providers in Iowa
In the cities we cover, electric is provided by Alliant Energy (Interstate Power and Light – Iowa) (Dubuque Ia); MidAmerican Energy Company (Ankeny, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City and 2 more) Most cities here use MidAmerican Energy, which applies summer (Jun–Sep) and winter (Oct–May) rates; riders (EAC, TCA, etc.) may affect actual bills. Ames (municipal) and Dubuque (Alliant Energy / IPL) follow their own schedules. Water, sewer, and trash are set by city, county, or regional providers. Our estimates use each utility's published rate at 1,000 kWh. City pages show sources and last-verified dates.
See which electric, water, sewer, and trash providers serve different areas of Iowa, along with typical residential rate information and sources.
View utility providers in Iowa →These rankings are estimates for comparison at 1,000 kWh. For the full breakdown (electric, water, sewer, trash) by city, use the comparison table below.
Cheapest electric rates in Iowa
Top 5 cities with the lowest estimated electric bill at 1,000 kWh. See the comparison table below for all cities.
Most expensive total utility monthly cost in Iowa
Top 5 cities with the highest estimated total (electric + water + sewer + trash). See the comparison table for all cities.
Compare all cities
Estimated monthly costs by city, sorted by total (highest first). Same assumed usage (1,000 kWh, 5,000 gal) for comparison; some cities may show $0 when no single published municipal rate is available or service varies by address. 10 cities.
| City | County | Electric | Water | Sewer | Trash | Total | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport | Scott County | $97.40 | $63.35 | $56.00 | $24.11 | $240.86 | View Davenport details → |
| Dubuque | Dubuque County | $135.50 | $35.15 | $49.75 | $18.11 | $238.51 | View Dubuque details → |
| Ankeny | Polk County | $97.40 | $45.00 | $40.00 | $44.09 | $226.49 | View Ankeny details → |
| Ames | Story County | $115.66 | $33.95 | $37.00 | $30.00 | $216.61 | View Ames details → |
| Des Moines | Polk County | $97.40 | $41.85 | $53.60 | $17.91 | $210.76 | View Des Moines details → |
| Sioux City | Woodbury County | $97.40 | $44.69 | $45.00 | $18.38 | $205.47 | View Sioux City details → |
| Council Bluffs | Pottawattamie County | $97.40 | $32.30 | $35.00 | $22.00 | $186.70 | View Council Bluffs details → |
| Iowa City | Johnson County | $97.40 | $32.99 | $33.00 | $22.50 | $185.89 | View Iowa City details → |
| Urbandale | Polk County | $97.40 | $41.34 | $25.00 | $14.50 | $178.24 | View Urbandale details → |
| Cedar Rapids | Linn County | $97.40 | $39.78 | $41.00 | $0.00 | $178.18 | View Cedar Rapids details → |
Iowa counties
View estimated utility costs by county. Each county page lists cities and a comparison table of monthly estimates.
Compare with nearby states
Compare utility costs in Iowa with neighboring states.
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