States With the Highest and Lowest Utility Bills

While there are many monthly bills you can easily cut — e.g., removing one of your streaming services or canceling the gym membership you never use — others you’re pretty much stuck paying, like your utilities, which keep your lights on and your house warm or cool, for starters. Unless your landlord covers your utilities, it’s likely that you must pay for electricity, water, natural gas, internet and cable every month.

Americans have been feeling the pinch of inflation in everything, but especially in utilities. According to Forbes, Americans spend an average of $429.33 per month on utilities, though 12 states spend less than $400 on their monthly utilities: Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.  Alaska and Hawaii have the highest monthly utility bills while Utah and New Mexico have the lowest.

Drawing on data from Forbes, we looked at the states with the highest and lowest utility bills

Forbes pointed out that there are a number of factors that account for high utility bills. This includes fuel prices, costs associated with maintaining the power plants and electrical grid in your area, and other factors. Hawaii, for example, where cost of living is 86% higher than the rest of the U.S. pays more because 60% of its petroleum has to be shipped in to run its electrical grid.

Here’s a look at the states where utilities cost the most.

• Total monthly cost: $474.86