Average electric bill in California

A typical California home paid about $154.64 a month for electricity in 2025, $1,855.68 for the year, using 493 kWh a month at 31.35 cents per kWh.

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Monthly use, kWh

Energy only, 31.35 ¢ per kWh; the slider starts at 493 kWh.

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The numbers

Typical bill 2025: $154.64 a month$1,855.68 a year, energy only
Rank by bill: 20 of 51+3% on the U.S. typical
Average use: 493 kWh a month51 of 51; -44% on the U.S.
Home price 2025: 31.35 ¢/kWh2 of 51; +82% on the U.S.
Costliest month: Sep $200.05627 kWh at 31.89 ¢
Cheapest month: Apr $110.07397 kWh at 27.76 ¢
Summer to winter swing: 82%costliest month over cheapest
Typical bill, Jan to Aug 2026: $167.69 a month+8.9% on the same months of 2025
Share of median income: 1.93%36 of 51; median household income $96,334
Typical bill 2023 to 2025: +6.9%$144.66 to $154.64 a month
Typical business bill 2025: $1,401.07 a month26.16 ¢/kWh
Gap to the lowest bill: $59.98 a monthlowest is New Mexico at $94.66

California charts

Typical monthly bill, California

$110.07 in Apr to $200.05 in Sep.

Typical monthly bill, California: 12 rows

Month	2025	2026 to Aug
Jan	166	183
Feb	145	140
Mar	133	154
Apr	110	138
May	133	136
Jun	162	165
Jul	187	192
Aug	195	235
Sep	200	No data
Oct	151	No data
Nov	133	No data
Dec	140	No data

12 rows from EIA retail sales.

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California and the states next to it in rank

$154.64 a month, rank 20 of 51.

dollars a month

California155
U.S. average151
New York155
Louisiana153

California, Typical monthly bill, California against others, 2025: EIA retail sales.

CSV

Bill by use level

Use	California a month	California a year	U.S. a month	Gap to U.S. in California
120 kWh, 0.25x the California average	$37.62	$451.44	$20.68	+$17
250 kWh, 0.5x the California average	$78.38	$940.50	$43.08	+$35
370 kWh, 0.75x the California average	$116.00	$1,391.94	$63.75	+$52
490 kWh, 1x the California average	$153.62	$1,843.38	$84.43	+$69
620 kWh, 1.25x the California average	$194.37	$2,332.44	$106.83	+$88
740 kWh, 1.5x the California average	$231.99	$2,783.88	$127.50	+$104
990 kWh, 2x the California average	$310.37	$3,724.38	$170.58	+$140
1,480 kWh, 3x the California average	$463.98	$5,567.76	$255.00	+$209

California month by month in 2025

Month	California kWh per account	California price ¢/kWh	California typical bill
Jan	552	30.13	$166.21
Feb	460	31.57	$145.19
Mar	422	31.59	$133.29
Apr	397	27.76	$110.07
May	409	32.51	$133.08
Jun	500	32.43	$162.09
Jul	589	31.72	$186.84
Aug	629	30.92	$194.58
Sep	627	31.89	$200.05
Oct	448	33.62	$150.60
Nov	416	32.03	$133.22
Dec	469	29.95	$140.45

California typical bill over the years

Year	California bill a month	California a year	California kWh per account	California price ¢/kWh
2023	$144.66	$1,735.91	490	29.51
2024	$160.66	$1,927.89	503	31.97
2025	$154.64	$1,855.68	493	31.35

California in 2026 so far

Month	California kWh per account	California price ¢/kWh	California typical bill
Jan 2026	604	30.29	$182.86
Feb 2026	420	33.22	$139.61
Mar 2026	462	33.28	$153.86
Apr 2026	392	35.29	$138.35
May 2026	408	33.25	$135.52
Jun 2026	474	34.74	$164.72
Jul 2026	571	33.61	$191.75
Aug 2026	789	29.75	$234.83

Business and industry in California

Customer type	California bill a month, 2025	California kWh per account	California price ¢/kWh
Business	$1,401.07	5,358	26.16
Industry	$5,158.43	24,638	20.96

California bill next to income

California: 1.93% of median household income, rank 36; the four states closest to it:

State near California	Median income	Bill a year	Share of income, near California
Iowa	$73,147	$1,408.07	1.92%
Wisconsin	$75,670	$1,447.23	1.91%
Montana	$69,922	$1,329.70	1.90%
New Hampshire	$95,628	$1,883.74	1.97%

Weather and the bill

California homes used the most power in Aug 2025 (629 kWh per account) and the least in Apr (397 kWh). Degree-days (heating plus cooling) peaked in Jan (509). Across the 12 months, use and degree-days have a correlation of -0.06. 2025 had 2,525 heating and 951 cooling degree-days, 10% below and 2% above the 1991 to 2020 normals (2,814 and 930).

California degree-days by year

Heating and cooling degree-days, California, 2015 to 2025: 11 rows

California year	Heating (HDD)	Cooling (CDD)	Normal HDD	Normal CDD
2015	2347	1157	2814	930
2016	2445	1023	2814	930
2017	2449	1167	2814	930
2018	2546	1101	2814	930
2019	2950	896	2814	930
2020	2570	1206	2814	930
2021	2689	1146	2814	930
2022	2672	1205	2814	930
2023	3085	866	2814	930
2024	2717	1192	2814	930
2025	2525	951	2814	930

NOAA nClimDiv degree-days for California, 2015 to 2025, pulled 2 Oct 2026.

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California, 2025 by month: 12 rows

Month	kWh per account	Price ¢/kWh	Typical bill	HDD 2025	CDD 2025	HDD normal	CDD normal
Jan	552	30.13	$166	509	0	502	1
Feb	460	31.57	$145	372	0	429	1
Mar	422	31.59	$133	437	1	389	5
Apr	397	27.76	$110	281	12	286	13
May	409	32.51	$133	120	56	158	47
Jun	500	32.43	$162	27	149	45	124
Jul	589	31.72	$187	6	202	3	256
Aug	629	30.92	$195	0	300	2	262
Sep	627	31.89	$200	12	182	19	169
Oct	448	33.62	$151	139	36	125	47
Nov	416	32.03	$133	262	8	332	5
Dec	469	29.95	$140	360	5	524	0

EIA retail sales and NOAA nClimDiv for California, 2025 by month.

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Analyst note

A typical California home account paid about $154.64 a month for energy in 2025, $1,855.68 over the year, which ranks 20th of 51 states, 3% above the U.S. typical bill. California homes used 493 kWh a month (51 of 51, 44% under the U.S.) at 31.35 cents (2 of 51, 82% over), so the bill reflects a high price. The year swings from $110.07 in April to $200.05 in September, a 82% gap, driven by use of 397 against 627 kWh. So far in 2026 the typical bill is $167.69 a month, +8.9% on the same months of 2025. Business accounts paid about $1,401.07 a month at 26.16 cents, 9.1 times a home bill. Over a year that is 1.93% of the $96,334 median household income, 36 of 51 states. The typical bill was $144.66 a month in 2023, $160.66 in 2024 and $154.64 in 2025, +6.9% in two years, with use per account at 490, 503 and 493 kWh.

California: states with a similar bill

State	Typical bill, near California	kWh a month	Price ¢/kWh
New York	$154.76	586	26.39
Louisiana	$153.26	1,225	12.52
Tennessee	$156.07	1,181	13.22
New Hampshire	$156.98	640	24.53

Questions on the California bill

What is the average electric bill in California?

Energy only: about $154.64 a month in 2025, or $1,855.68 a year.

How much electricity does a California home use?

Rank 51 of 51: 493 kWh a month in 2025, -44% on the U.S.

What month is the electric bill highest in California?

September at $200.05; the lowest is April at $110.07.

Is the average electric bill in California above the national average?

Above, by $3.97 a month or 3%.

How much does 1,000 kWh cost in California?

$313.50 at 31.35 cents per kWh, the 2025 average.

How far is California from the state with the lowest bill?

$59.98 a month: the lowest typical bill, $94.66 in New Mexico, against $154.64 here.

What share of income goes to electricity in California?

1.93% of the $96,334 median household income, 36 of 51 states.

How much did the typical California bill change since 2023?

$144.66 a month in 2023, $154.64 in 2025, +6.9%.

What does a California business pay a month for electricity?

$1,401.07 for a typical commercial account, at 26.16 cents per kWh in 2025.

Is the California bill rising in 2026?

$167.69 a month so far, +8.9% on the same months of 2025.