Use the Utilities Cost Per Month Calculator to total electricity, gas, water, trash, internet, and phone bills by month, year, and household member. easily.
Utilities Cost Per Month Formula
Add the monthly equivalent of every recurring household utility to find the total monthly cost:
M = E + G + W + T + I + P + O
The annual total and per-person monthly share are:
A = 12M PP = M / N
When you choose the budget-gap mode, the amount available for unlisted utilities is:
R = B - K
Variables:
- M is the combined monthly utility cost
- E, G, W, T, I, P, and O are the monthly equivalents for electricity, gas or heating, water and sewer, trash, internet or cable, phone, and other utilities
- A is the annual utility cost
- PP is the monthly cost per person and N is the number of people sharing the household
- R is the amount remaining, B is the target monthly utility budget, and K is the total of known utility categories
Every amount should be converted to a one-month equivalent before it is added. This prevents a quarterly water bill or annual trash bill from being treated as though it occurs every month.
Converting Bills to a Monthly Cost
Use the following factors when a bill is issued on a schedule other than once per month.
| Billing schedule | Monthly equivalent |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Bill amount * 52 / 12 |
| Every 2 weeks | Bill amount * 26 / 12 |
| Every 4 weeks | Bill amount * 13 / 12 |
| Every 2 months | Bill amount / 2 |
| Quarterly | Bill amount / 3 |
| Every 6 months | Bill amount / 6 |
| Annually | Bill amount / 12 |
For highly seasonal utilities, a trailing 12-month total divided by 12 usually produces a more useful planning number than the most recent bill alone.
Example Problems
Example 1: Find a household’s monthly and yearly utility cost.
A household pays $145 for electricity, $85 for gas, $70 for water and sewer, $30 for trash, $65 for internet, and $110 for phone service each month. The total is:
M = 145 + 85 + 70 + 30 + 65 + 110 = $505 per month.
The annual cost is 12 * $505 = $6,060. If four people share the household, the monthly cost per person is $505 / 4 = $126.25.
Example 2: Find the amount left in a utility budget.
A renter wants to keep utilities below $550 per month. The known electricity, gas, water, trash, internet, and phone costs total $470. The amount available for any other utilities is:
R = 550 - 470 = $80 per month.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be included in monthly utilities?
Include recurring services needed to operate the household, such as electricity, natural gas or heating fuel, water, sewer, trash, internet, cable, and phone service. Rent, mortgage payments, groceries, insurance, and discretionary subscriptions are normally tracked in separate budget categories.
How should seasonal utility bills be averaged?
Add the last 12 months of bills and divide by 12. A full-year average captures both heating and cooling seasons and is less distorted by an unusually hot, cold, wet, or dry month.
Should utility deposits and installation fees be included?
One-time deposits and setup fees should not be added to the normal recurring monthly total unless you deliberately spread them across a planning period. Track refundable deposits separately so they do not overstate the long-run cost.
