Average Utility Costs in Pennsylvania
Typical monthly utility costs in Pennsylvania are about $257.83/mo, based on 1,000 kWh of electricity and 5,000 gallons of water (plus sewer and trash where available). Covered cities include Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and other metros—each served by an assigned distribution utility for wires and delivery, with water, sewer, and trash set locally. Pennsylvania electric choice lets you shop for supply; our estimates standardize on each utility's published benchmark at 1,000 kWh so you can compare cities fairly.
Average Monthly Utility Costs in Pennsylvania
The average utility bill in Pennsylvania is estimated at $257.83 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 Pennsylvania
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.
Search by city or county
Pennsylvania electric choice: supplier vs utility (PECO, PPL, Duquesne Light, etc.)
In Pennsylvania your distribution utility (PECO, PPL, Penelec, Duquesne Light, Met-Ed, and others) always handles delivery and wires charges for your address—you do not choose that company. Supply (the energy you use) can be shopped from competitive suppliers, or you can take the utility's default supply rate (often labeled Price to Compare). Our estimate uses each serving utility's published benchmark at 1,000 kWh so cities stay comparable; your actual supply line item depends on which supplier and plan you choose.
The Price to Compare is the default supply rate from your utility—use it when shopping at the state's official shopping site. City pages show the rate basis and last-verified dates.
Why totals differ city to city
Electric depends on which distribution utility serves the area and its tariff; water, sewer, and trash are separate local or regional charges. A mid-pack electric estimate can still produce a high total if sewer or water fees are elevated.
Price to Compare & shopping
Competitive offers change often. We anchor on each utility's published benchmark at 1,000 kWh so you can compare cities on the same basis—your bill may differ if you select a different supplier or ride default supply when rates move.
Wires vs energy on the bill
Delivery charges stay with your distribution utility; supply is the piece you may shop in Pennsylvania's retail choice market. Both appear on a typical residential bill alongside taxes and riders—see each city page for how we mapped the line items we cite.
Top electric distribution utilities in the Pennsylvania cities we cover
These utilities appear in our dataset for the cities below. They explain much of the electric portion of each estimate; water, sewer, and trash are still local. In a choice market, your supply rate may differ from the utility benchmark we display.
Met-Ed (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company)
investor owned utility
Serves 2 covered Pennsylvania cities.
PECO Energy Company
investor owned utility
Serves 2 covered Pennsylvania cities.
Example cities: Bristol, Philadelphia
Penelec (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company)
investor owned utility
Serves 2 covered Pennsylvania cities.
Duquesne Light Company
investor owned utility
Serves 1 covered Pennsylvania city.
Example cities: Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania cities to compare first
Start with the largest covered metros if you're benchmarking costs or comparing a move. These pages span major distribution utilities and a wide range of municipal water, sewer, and trash setups.
Allegheny County • Duquesne Light Company
Estimated total monthly utilities
Berks County • Met-Ed (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company)
Estimated total monthly utilities
Northampton County • PPL Electric Utilities
Estimated total monthly utilities
Lackawanna County • PPL Electric Utilities
Estimated total monthly utilities
Lancaster County • PPL Electric Utilities
Estimated total monthly utilities
Erie County • Penelec (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company)
Estimated total monthly utilities
Dauphin County • PPL Electric Utilities
Estimated total monthly utilities
York County • Met-Ed (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company)
Estimated total monthly utilities
Lowest total utility monthly cost in Pennsylvania
Top 5 cities with the lowest estimated total monthly utilities (electric + water + sewer + trash). This highlights affordability across all bill components, not electric alone.
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 Pennsylvania
Top 5 cities with the lowest estimated electric bill at 1,000 kWh (based on the serving utility/rate basis used on each city page). See the comparison table below for all cities.
Most expensive total utility monthly cost in Pennsylvania
Top 5 cities with the highest estimated total (electric + water + sewer + trash). High totals are often driven by sewer, water, or fixed fees—not only the electric line item.
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. 13 cities; 10 per page.
| City | County | Electric | Water | Sewer | Trash | Total | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College | Centre County | $109.47 | $45.05 | $40.33 | $31.09 | $225.94 | View State College details → |
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia County | $110.20 | $64.01 | $34.50 | $0.00 | $208.71 | View Philadelphia details → |
| Bethlehem | Northampton County | $129.53 | $32.16 | $27.92 | $0.00 | $189.61 | View Bethlehem details → |
Pennsylvania counties
View estimated utility costs by county. Each county page lists cities and a comparison table of monthly estimates.
Utility providers in Pennsylvania
In the cities we cover, electric is provided by Met-Ed (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company) (Reading, York); PECO Energy Company (Bristol, Philadelphia); Penelec (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company) (Erie, Millcreek); West Penn Power (FirstEnergy Pennsylvania Electric Company) (State College) PA is a choice market; electric Price to Compare (PTC) varies by distribution utility. City pages cite the benchmark we used at 1,000 kWh. 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 Pennsylvania, along with typical residential rate information and sources.
View utility providers in Pennsylvania →Compare with nearby states
Compare utility costs in Pennsylvania with neighboring states.
Explore further