Updated July 2, 2026
The average U.S. household paid about $408 a month for core utilities in 2026: electricity, natural gas, water, sewer and trash pickup. Add internet, phone and streaming, and the typical monthly total climbs to roughly $595, per Move.org's utility survey (updated June 2026) and U.S. Energy Information Administration pricing data. These are national averages. Your bill depends heavily on where you live, your home's size, and local rates.
2026 summary table
Figures are national averages for a typical residential household. Electricity and natural gas prices come directly from the U.S. Energy Information Administration; water, sewer, trash and internet figures come from Move.org's dated 2026 utility cost survey, since no federal agency publishes a national average for those categories.
| Utility | Average cost | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity (avg. bill) | $144/mo | Full-year 2024 | EIA, Today in Energy |
| Electricity (avg. rate) | 18.56¢/kWh | March 2026 | EIA, Electric Power Monthly |
| Natural gas (avg. price) | $12.47/Mcf (≈$1.20/therm) | February 2026 | EIA, Natural Gas Monthly |
| Water | $48/mo | 2026 est. | Move.org |
| Sewer | $67/mo | 2026 est. | Move.org |
| Trash / garbage | $62.50/mo | 2026 est. | Move.org |
| Internet | $62/mo | 2026 est. | Move.org |
| Core utilities combined | ≈$408/mo | 2026 est. | Move.org |
| All utilities, incl. internet/phone/streaming | ≈$595/mo | 2026 est. | Move.org |
Download the full dataset as a CSV ↓
What drives electricity and gas costs
Electricity is priced per kilowatt-hour and natural gas per therm or thousand cubic feet, so the bill you actually pay depends on both the rate and how much you use. The U.S. average residential electricity rate was 18.56 cents per kilowatt-hour in March 2026 (EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A). The U.S. average residential natural gas price was $12.47 per thousand cubic feet in February 2026, which works out to roughly $1.20 per therm using the EIA's standard heat-content conversion of about 10.37 therms per thousand cubic feet (EIA, Natural Gas Monthly, Table 3).
Methodology
Electricity and natural gas figures in this index are drawn directly from U.S. Energy Information Administration published series: the average residential electricity bill figure ($144/month) is EIA's national average for full-year 2024, the most recent year EIA has finalized (published in Today in Energy, May 12, 2025); the electricity rate (18.56¢/kWh) and natural gas price ($12.47/Mcf) are the latest monthly figures available from EIA's Electric Power Monthly and Natural Gas Monthly series, retrieved in July 2026 and dated March 2026 and February 2026 respectively.
No federal agency publishes a single national average for water, sewer, trash or internet the way EIA does for energy, since those services are set locally by thousands of municipal utilities and private providers. For those four categories, this page cites Move.org's "Utility Bills 101" survey, updated June 2026, which aggregates provider and municipal rate data into national averages. We name that source explicitly wherever we use it so the figure can be checked against its origin.
This page is reviewed and refreshed at least once a year. Numbers that cannot be traced to a named, dated source are left out rather than estimated.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average utility bill in the U.S. in 2026?
About $408 a month for core utilities (electricity, natural gas, water, sewer and trash), or roughly $595 a month including internet, phone and streaming, per Move.org's 2026 survey.
Why is my electric bill higher than $144 a month?
$144 is a national average. Rates and typical usage both vary by state and season; Hawaii's 2024 average was $213 a month and Utah's was $89, per the EIA.
How much does natural gas cost per therm?
About $1.20 per therm as of February 2026, derived from the EIA's residential price of $12.47 per thousand cubic feet using the standard 10.37-therm conversion factor.
Need to run your own numbers?
UtilCalc's free calculators handle the percentage and discount math behind rate changes and bill comparisons.