Some States Pay Quadruple What Others Do for Water — Is Yours One of Them?

Much like it’s important to know the average gas bill or electric bill in your area, it’s a good idea to keep tabs on the average water bill. If your bill is significantly higher than the average, you might want to check for leaks and see where in your routine you can cut down on your usage to bring it down to a more affordable level.

Average Water Bill By State

According to HomeGuide, the average water bill in each state is as follows:

State	Monthly Bill
Vermont	$18
Wisconsin	$18
North Carolina	$20
Louisiana	$21
Mississippi	$23
Nebraska	$23
Maine	$24
Arkansas	$26
Illinois	$26
Nevada	$26
South Dakota	$26
Kansas	$27
New Hampshire	$27
Ohio	$27
Georgia	$28
Minnesota	$28
Michigan	$29
Alabama	$30
Indiana	$30
New York	$30
North Dakota	$31
Pennsylvania	$31
Iowa	$32
New Mexico	$32
Rhode Island	$32
Florida	$33
South Carolina	$33
Massachusetts	$34
Oklahoma	$35
Virginia	$36
Texas	$37
Idaho	$38
Montana	$38
Utah	$38
Colorado	$39
Missouri	$39
Tennessee	$43
Delaware	$46
Maryland	$46
Kentucky	$49
Wyoming	$53
District of Columbia	$59
Arizona	$64
Hawaii	$64
Alaska	$68
Connecticut	$69
New Jersey	$72
Washington	$75
Oregon	$76
California	$77
West Virginia	$91

The cheapest state is Vermont, with an average water bill of $18/month. That’s $73 cheaper than the most expensive state, West Virginia, where the average water bill is $91/month.

Contributing Factors

Your water bill depends in part on the water rates for your area, but other factors include household size, water usage, and location. You can cut down on your water usage in some cases if your bill is too high, but it’s also helpful to look into how your utility company bills water so that you can budget accordingly.

Per HomeGuide, common rate structures include:

• Uniform: much like it sounds, your rate is consistent
• Increase block: your rate will increase once you hit certain usage thresholds
• Seasonal: if demand varies greatly between seasons, you might see higher rates in the summer and lower rates in the winter
• Water budget: similar to increase blocks; you’re charged one rate for the “budget” the company gives you, and a higher rate for usage that exceeds it. The difference between this rate structure and the increase block structure is that your budget is given based on what the company thinks you’ll use, whereas the increase block rates are stair-stepped at certain usage levels to promote water conservation.

How Can I Cut Down My Usage?

If your water bill is quite high, you can try replacing bathroom fixtures with low-flow alternatives, keeping showers short, and adjusting your yard watering schedule. If you’ve got the money to invest up front, you can also look into replacing the grass in your yard with drought-tolerant native plants that will require less water overall.

Source

How Much Is the Average Water Bill?, Homeguide, 2026.

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