Residential electric bill
Average Electric Bill in California 2026
The average electric bill in California is $154.73 a month.
$154.73per month
- Rank
- 20 of 51
- Price
- 31.35¢ per kWh
- Typical use
- 494 kWh
That is $4.05 above the U.S. average of $150.68. Over a year it is about $1,856.76. The price and the kilowatt-hours are the EIA residential averages for California in 2025.
The rate is among the highest in the country, but homes use about half the national kilowatt-hours, so the bill lands near the U.S. average.
EIA builds the average bill from residential revenue divided by the number of residential customers (14,371,581 in California). It includes the energy and delivery charges utilities reported. It is not a quote for one house. A larger home, electric heat, or a time-of-use plan can land far from this average.
Cities in California
EIA does not publish a separate city bill. Each city below uses this California average.
The other big bills on a house
The electric bill shows up every month. The expensive years are usually a roof, an HVAC system, or a water heater.
Questions people ask
- What is the average electric bill in California in 2026?
- $154.73 a month. That is the EIA residential average for calendar year 2025, published October 7, 2026. A full year of that average is about $1,856.76.
- Why does a 2026 page use a 2025 bill?
- The annual EIA bill is a full calendar year. Final 2025 numbers were released on October 7, 2026. Monthly 2026 figures are still preliminary and are not a full-year average.
- How much is electricity per kWh in California?
- 31.35¢ per kilowatt-hour, on about 494 kWh a month. A high bill can come from the rate, from heavy use, or from both. The rate is among the highest in the country, but homes use about half the national kilowatt-hours, so the bill lands near the U.S. average.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861, residential average monthly bill, calendar year 2025, released October 7, 2026. EIA-861 data files. Figures are rounded to the cent, to 0.01¢ per kWh, and to the nearest kilowatt-hour.