California households paid an average of 33.61¢ per kWh in July 2026, 84% above the US average and +2.9% on a year earlier. That ranks #2 of 51, most expensive first.
Source EIA, residential retail priceLatest month July 2026
Average residential priceCA
33.61¢/kWh
Typical bill
$161/mo
Average use
487kWh
EV, 1,000 mi
$91/mo
Thirteen months of prices
Average residential price by month, ¢/kWh (EIA). Highest 35.25¢ in April 2026, lowest 30.29¢ in January 2026. Download the data (CSV)
Utilities and rate plans
Each utility’s current residential tariffs, transcribed from its tariff sheets, with periods, tiers, fixed charge and a typical bill. Customer counts from EIA-861 (2024).
Each row prices a utility’s standard plan for a typical home. The California average of 32.99¢/kWh (EIA, 12 months) is what every household in the state actually paid, including utilities not modeled here and discounted low-income bills, so it can sit below every row.
Tiered and baseline-credit plans depend on the baseline territory; Region X covers the San Francisco Bay Area.
Baseline allowances differ by climate zone; the plans shown model the Coastal zone, where most customers live.
Fixed charges assume a single-family home (Medium service size); apartments on shared service drops pay a lower service size charge.
The EV option is SMUD's standard Time-of-Day rate with a 1.5¢/kWh credit on all home usage from midnight to 6 a.m. for registered plug-in EV owners.
Also: Santa Clarita (SCE), Oxnard (SCE), Huntington Beach (SCE), Santa Rosa (PG&E), Oceanside (SDG&E), Garden Grove (SCE), Lancaster (SCE), Palmdale (SCE), Pomona (SCE), Visalia (SCE), Escondido (SDG&E), Fullerton (SCE), Torrance (SCE), Orange (SCE), Simi Valley (SCE), Thousand Oaks (SCE), Carlsbad (SDG&E), Santa Maria (PG&E), San Buenaventura (Ventura) (SCE), Costa Mesa (SCE), Downey (SCE), El Monte (SCE), San Mateo (PG&E), El Cajon (SDG&E), Inglewood (SCE), Daly City (PG&E).
Against the national average and states with similar prices
Average residential ¢/kWh, July 2026 (EIA).
California33.61¢
United States18.31¢
Maine32.41¢
Massachusetts30.49¢
New York29.90¢
Alaska28.83¢
Average electric bill in California
Over the last 12 months the average price was 32.99¢ per kWh and the average home used 487 kWh a month, so a typical California household spent about $161 a month on electricity, or $1,928 a year. Use is 44% below the US average of 870 kWh a month, peaking in September at 632 kWh.
Driving a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD 1,000 miles a month takes 275 kWh from the wall (EPA 27.5 kWh/100 mi), about $91 at the state average. A 25.5 mpg gasoline car covering the same distance at $5.46 a gallon (California average, August 2026) costs about $214.
The state average hides the real spread. Utilities in the same state charge different prices, and on a time-of-use plan the same kWh costs more in the peak hours than off-peak; each utility page shows by how much. Open PG&E’s page to see its plans, prices by hour and fixed charge, or run the calculators below with California preloaded.
Natural gas for homes averaged $2.17 per therm over the 12 months to June 2026 (EIA, all charges included), and a typical gas-heated home uses about 167 therms a year for heating. The heat pump calculator compares that with electric heating on your plan.
A south-facing, 20° rooftop array in California produces about 1,679 kWh per installed kW a year (NREL PVWatts at the state’s population center). What that is worth depends on your utility’s export rule, shown on each utility’s page.
California electricity: common questions
How much does electricity cost in California?
Homes in California paid an average of 33.61¢ per kWh in July 2026, against 18.31¢ for the US, which ranks the state #2 of 51 from most expensive. Over the last 12 months the average was 32.99¢. These are EIA averages of what households actually paid, fixed charges included; your utility and plan set your own price.
What is the average electric bill in California?
About $161 a month ($1,928 a year): the average California home used 487 kWh a month over the last 12 months at an average 32.99¢/kWh. Use peaks in September, at 632 kWh.
Are electricity prices going up in California?
California's average residential price was 33.61¢/kWh in July 2026, 2.9% higher than a year earlier. Over the last ten years the 12-month average has changed by +6.7% a year, against +3.6% a year for the US.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in California?
Driving 1,000 miles a month in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD takes 275 kWh from the wall, about $91 at the state's average home price, against about $214 of gasoline for a 25.5 mpg car. On a time-of-use plan, charging overnight can cost less than that.
Do California utilities offer time-of-use plans?
Yes. PG&E offers E-TOU-C, E-ELEC, EV2-A, E-TOU-D (peak 4 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays on E-TOU-C); SCE offers TOU-D-4-9PM, TOU-D-5-8PM, TOU-D-PRIME (peak 4 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays on TOU-D-4-9PM); SDG&E offers TOU-DR1, TOU-DR2, EV-TOU-5, TOU-ELEC, EV-TOU-2 (peak 4 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays on TOU-DR1); LADWP offers R-1B (peak 1 pm–5 pm on summer weekdays); Anaheim Public Utilities offers TOU-2 (peak 4 pm–9 pm on summer weekdays); Burbank Water and Power offers EV TOU (peak 4 pm–7 pm on summer weekdays); SMUD offers R-TOD, R-TOD EV (peak 5 pm–8 pm on summer weekdays on R-TOD). Each utility's page shows every period and price.