Media & data resources
Utility cost data for U.S. cities
Utility-Rates.com publishes source-backed utility cost estimates for U.S. cities using public tariffs, municipal rate schedules, provider pages, and documented assumptions.
Our goal is to make it easier to understand what it actually costs to live in a city each month—not just rent, mortgage, or taxes, but the recurring utility costs that often get overlooked.
What our dataset covers
Utility-Rates.com currently covers 618 cities across 51 states and territories, with standardized estimates for:
- Electricity
- Water
- Sewer / wastewater
- Trash and solid waste
- Internet provider lookup and address-based availability tools (tools hub)
Each city page is designed to show a comparable monthly estimate using consistent assumptions, while also showing the local sources behind the numbers. Where available, city pages include estimated totals, line-item breakdowns, provider names, base charges, usage-based rates, source links, last-verified dates, and confidence labels such as confirmed, estimated, or delivery-only (in retail electric choice markets).
Who uses this data
Utility cost information helps anyone trying to understand the true monthly cost of living in a city. Our data is built for:
- Renters comparing apartments or planning a move
- Homebuyers estimating monthly ownership costs
- Real estate professionals helping clients compare locations
- Property managers and leasing teams setting clearer utility expectations
- Relocation researchers and cost-of-living writers
- Journalists covering housing affordability, energy costs, or local expenses
- Policy and energy-efficiency researchers studying household utility burdens
Housing affordability is not only rent or mortgage. Utilities can materially change the monthly reality of living in one city compared with another.
How our estimates work
Utility-Rates.com uses standardized assumptions so cities can be compared more fairly. City utility pages commonly model electricity at 1,000 kWh per month and water at 5,000 gallons per month. Local base charges, volumetric rates, sewer formulas, trash fees, and provider-specific structures are applied where available.
Rates are sourced from official utility tariffs, municipal rate schedules, provider pages, public service commission documents, and other public sources where possible. Every city page includes source links and last-verified dates.
Referenced by
Utility-Rates.com data has been referenced by local news, cost-of-living writers, property management resources, municipal pages, and energy-efficiency organizations. These are examples of outside publications using our city-level data—not endorsements.
MSN
Cost-of-living coverage citing Pearland, Texas utility estimates.
Action News Jax
Local news contributor piece referencing Jacksonville, Florida utility costs.
Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA)
Public policy comments referencing Illinois utility cost data.
Money Inc.
Cost-of-living guides citing Frisco, Texas and Boise, Idaho utility estimates.
City of Bennettsville, SC
Municipal public utilities page linking to Utility-Rates.com as a reference resource.
Lifetime Property Management
California rental utility billing guide citing Sacramento utility cost data.
Smart Rent or Buy
Rent-vs-buy research citing Omaha, Nebraska and St. Petersburg, Florida utility estimates.
Living in Green Bay
Local cost-of-living breakdown citing Green Bay, Wisconsin utility estimates.
Monthly usage
Utility-Rates.com is used by thousands of monthly visitors researching utility costs, relocation budgets, city comparisons, internet provider availability, and household cost-of-living questions.
How to cite Utility-Rates.com
You are welcome to reference Utility-Rates.com with attribution and a link. Prefer linking to the specific city page you discuss—that is how most writers cite us and it gives readers the most useful context.
Preferred: city page citation
Utility Rates. "Average Monthly Utility Bills in Pearland, Texas." Utility-Rates.com. Last verified [date shown on page]. https://utility-rates.com/texas/pearland-tx
Optional: about this dataset (this page)
Utility Rates. "Utility Cost Data for U.S. Cities." Utility-Rates.com. Accessed May 29, 2026. https://utility-rates.com/media
Replace bracketed placeholders with the last-verified date shown on the city page you cite. Browse cities from our state directory.
Data, media, and correction requests
For media inquiries, data questions, correction requests, or source updates, contact dev@ascendingwebservices.com.
If you are writing about housing affordability, relocation, rent-versus-buy decisions, utility bills, energy costs, or local cost of living, you may cite the relevant Utility-Rates.com city page with attribution.
Correction policy
We welcome correction requests. If a source changes, a rate schedule is updated, or a city or provider page appears outdated, contact us and we will review the source and update the page where appropriate.
Email dev@ascendingwebservices.com or use our contact page.