Average Utility Costs in Tennessee

Typical monthly utility costs in Tennessee are about $231.44/mo, based on 1,000 kWh of electricity and 5,000 gallons of water (plus sewer and trash where available). Covered cities include major metros such as Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville—each with its own municipal or cooperative electric distributor and local water/sewer/trash fees.

Average Monthly Utility Costs in Tennessee

The average utility bill in Tennessee is estimated at $231.44 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.

Electric (1,000 kWh)
$137.18
Median of city estimates; each city uses its serving local utility's rate.
Water (5,000 gal)
$31.98
Median of non-$0 cities — Some cities show $0 when no municipal rate is published or service varies by address; this is the median of cities with a reported rate.
Sewer
$44.49
Median of non-$0 cities — Some cities show $0 when no municipal rate is published or service varies by address; this is the median of cities with a reported rate.
Trash
$17.80
Median of non-$0 cities — Some cities show $0 when no municipal rate is published or service varies by address; this is the median of cities with a reported rate.
Typical total (assembled from medians)
$231.44
Alternate view: Median of city totals: $224.65
See full Tennessee city comparison →•How we calculate 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 Tennessee

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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TVA power & your local electric bill

Most residents in the Tennessee cities we cover buy electricity from a local distribution utility—often a municipal system (for example NES, MLGW, or KUB) or a cooperative—while the Tennessee Valley Authority supplies wholesale power to the region. Your bill reflects that local utility's published residential tariff at our standard 1,000 kWh, including line items such as TVA Grid Access and periodic fuel adjustments as shown on the schedule we cite—not a single statewide retail rate.

Why totals differ city to city

Electric varies by local tariff; water, sewer, and trash are set separately by each city or authority. A low electric line item does not guarantee a low all-in utility total.

Cooling & seasonal use

Hot, humid summers push air-conditioning use. Our estimates hold usage constant so you can compare rate structures—your actual kWh may be higher in peak months.

Regulated retail model

Tennessee is not a Texas-style statewide residential power-choice market for most households. You generally receive service from the utility assigned to your area; compare cities here using the same usage assumptions.

Top electric providers in the Tennessee cities we cover

These utilities appear in our dataset for the cities below. Following them helps explain much of the electric portion of each estimate; water, sewer, and trash are still local.

Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)

co op utility

Serves 2 covered Tennessee cities.

Example cities: Murfreesboro, Franklin

Nashville Electric Service (NES)

municipal utility

Serves 2 covered Tennessee cities.

Example cities: Nashville, Hendersonville

BrightRidge

municipal utility

Serves 1 covered Tennessee city.

Example cities: Johnson City

CDE Lightband (Clarksville Department of Electricity)

municipal utility

Serves 1 covered Tennessee city.

Example cities: Clarksville

Cookeville Electric Department

municipal utility

Serves 1 covered Tennessee city.

Example cities: Cookeville

Tennessee cities to compare first

Start with the largest covered metros if you're benchmarking costs or comparing a move. These pages combine the biggest service territories in our data with a wide range of water, sewer, and trash setups.

Nashville

Davidson County • Nashville Electric Service (NES)

Estimated total monthly utilities

$206.49
Memphis

Shelby County • Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW)

Estimated total monthly utilities

$224.65
Knoxville

Knox County • Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB)

Estimated total monthly utilities

$326.67
Clarksville

Montgomery County • CDE Lightband (Clarksville Department of Electricity)

Estimated total monthly utilities

$233.07
Murfreesboro

Rutherford County • Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)

Estimated total monthly utilities

$188.77
Franklin

Williamson County • Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)

Estimated total monthly utilities

$262.69
Johnson City

Washington County • BrightRidge

Estimated total monthly utilities

$230.42
Jackson

Madison County • Jackson Energy Authority (JEA)

Estimated total monthly utilities

$224.53

Lowest total utility monthly cost in Tennessee

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 Tennessee

Top 5 cities with the lowest estimated electric bill at 1,000 kWh (based on the serving utility and rate basis on each city page). See the comparison table below for all cities.

Most expensive total utility monthly cost in Tennessee

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. 11 cities; 10 per page.

CityCountyElectricWaterSewerTrashTotalView
MurfreesboroRutherford County$129.02$18.75$27.50$13.50$188.77View Murfreesboro details →

Tennessee counties

View estimated utility costs by county. Each county page lists cities and a comparison table of monthly estimates.

Utility providers in Tennessee

In the cities we cover, electric is provided by BrightRidge (Johnson City); CDE Lightband (Clarksville Department of Electricity) (Clarksville); Cookeville Electric Department (Cookeville Tn); Gallatin Department of Electricity (GDE) (Gallatin Tn); Jackson Energy Authority (JEA) (Jackson Tn); Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) (Knoxville); Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) (Memphis); Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE) (Franklin Tn, Murfreesboro); Nashville Electric Service (NES) (Hendersonville, Nashville) Most covered cities use municipal or cooperative local power companies supplied by TVA; retail rates include Grid Access and periodic fuel adjustments per each utility’s tariff. 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 Tennessee, along with typical residential rate information and sources.

View utility providers in Tennessee →

Compare with nearby states

Compare utility costs in Tennessee with neighboring states.

Explore further

FAQ – Utilities in Tennessee

In our dataset, electric is typically provided by a local power company—often a municipal utility (for example Nashville Electric Service, Memphis Light Gas and Water, Knoxville Utilities Board, or Clarksville’s CDE Lightband) or a cooperative—rather than one statewide brand. These utilities are generally Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) distributors: TVA generates and transmits power; your local utility sets retail rates and passes through charges such as the TVA Grid Access Charge and periodic fuel cost adjustments, per each utility’s published tariff. On every city page we list the serving provider, the rate basis we used at 1,000 kWh, and sources with last-verified dates.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federal power supplier for the Tennessee Valley region. Most residential customers in the cities we cover do not buy power directly from TVA—they buy from their local distribution utility, which purchases wholesale power from TVA and bills you for energy, demand-related charges where applicable, and TVA-related line items shown on that utility’s schedule (for example Grid Access and fuel adjustments). Your city page reflects the local utility’s published residential rate at our standard 1,000 kWh assumption.
Utility costs vary by city and county because **electric** depends on which local power company serves the address and how its tariff is structured, while **water, sewer, and trash** are set by each city, authority, or regional provider. A lower electric line item does not always mean a lower total bill if water, sewer, or solid-waste fees are higher. We show sources and last-verified dates on every city page.
We estimate four components: electric (standardized 1,000 kWh monthly usage using each local utility’s published tariff and rate schedules), water (base + volumetric), sewer (flat, tiered, or capacity/commodity), and trash (monthly fee or typical hauler fee where published). Each city page shows assumptions and sources so you can compare cities fairly.
Some cities show $0 when a single published municipal rate isn’t available, service varies by address or hauler, or the rate schedule hasn’t been added yet. In the state median cards, water/sewer/trash medians exclude $0 entries to reduce distortion.
Each city page links to official sources and shows last-verified dates. The Providers page lists Tennessee utilities and the cities they serve. Use the city search or county links to drill down to a specific area.