Washington households paid an average of 14.63¢ per kWh in August 2026, 19% below the US average and +7.2% on a year earlier. That ranks #40 of 51, most expensive first.
Source EIA, residential retail priceLatest month August 2026
Average residential priceWA
14.63¢/kWh
Typical bill
$132/mo
Average use
927kWh
EV, 1,000 mi
$39/mo
Thirteen months of prices
Average residential price by month, ¢/kWh (EIA). Highest 14.95¢ in May 2026, lowest 13.35¢ in December 2025. 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 (2025).
Each row prices a utility’s standard plan for a typical home. The Washington average of 14.20¢/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.
Prices are for homes inside the City of Seattle; suburban customers (Burien, SeaTac, Shoreline, Tukwila, Renton and other areas) pay somewhat higher rates.
Rates by city
Cities of 100,000 or more whose utility is modeled here.
Against the national average and states with similar prices
Average residential ¢/kWh, August 2026 (EIA).
Washington14.63¢
United States18.16¢
Oklahoma14.82¢
Mississippi14.43¢
Wyoming14.43¢
Arkansas14.37¢
Charging an electric car in Washington
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 $39 at the state average. A 25.5 mpg gasoline car covering the same distance at $5.33 a gallon (Washington average, October 2026) costs about $209.
On a time-of-use plan, charging in the cheapest hours beats the flat average. The table shows, for each utility, the plan with the lowest total bill for a typical Washington home that adds 1,000 EV miles a month, averaged over the year, and what plugging in at 6 pm would cost instead.
Over the last 12 months the average price was 14.20¢ per kWh and the average home used 927 kWh a month, so a typical Washington household spent about $132 a month on electricity, or $1,580 a year. Use is close to the US average of 875 kWh a month, peaking in January at 1,269 kWh.
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 PSE’s page to see its plans, prices by hour and fixed charge, or run the calculators below with Washington preloaded.
Natural gas for homes averaged $1.67 per therm over the 12 months to August 2026 (EIA, all charges included), and a typical gas-heated home uses about 557 therms a year for heating. The heat pump calculator compares that with electric heating on your plan.
A south-facing, 20° rooftop array in Washington produces about 1,060 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.
Washington electricity: common questions
How much does electricity cost in Washington?
Homes in Washington paid an average of 14.63¢ per kWh in August 2026, against 18.16¢ for the US, which ranks the state #40 of 51 from most expensive. Over the last 12 months the average was 14.20¢. 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 Washington?
About $132 a month ($1,580 a year): the average Washington home used 927 kWh a month over the last 12 months at an average 14.20¢/kWh. Use peaks in January, at 1,269 kWh.
Are electricity prices going up in Washington?
Washington's average residential price was 14.63¢/kWh in August 2026, 7.2% higher than a year earlier. Over the last ten years the 12-month average has changed by +4.2% a year, against +3.7% a year for the US.
How much does it cost to charge an electric car in Washington?
Driving 1,000 miles a month in a Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD takes 275 kWh from the wall, about $39 at the state's average home price, against about $209 of gasoline for a 25.5 mpg car. On a time-of-use plan, charging overnight can cost less than that.
Do Washington utilities offer time-of-use plans?
None of the PSE, Snohomish PUD, Tacoma Power, Avista, Clark Public Utilities, Seattle City Light plans modeled here is time-of-use: the price per kWh does not depend on the hour.