Is it cheaper to live in Denver or Aurora for monthly utilities?

Aurora, SD is approximately 14% cheaper than Denver, CO in average monthly utilities ($293/mo vs $335/mo), saving approximately $42 per month or $506 annually.

How do residential electric rates compare between Denver and Aurora?

Residential electricity in Denver is $0.142 per kWh served by Xcel Energy Colorado, compared to $0.124 per kWh in Aurora served by Xcel Energy / Black Hills Energy.

What is the average water and sewer bill in Denver compared to Aurora?

In Denver, the minimum water and sewer base meter charge is $31.00/month with Tier 1 volumetric water priced at $3.10 per 1,000 gallons. In Aurora, baseline fixed meter fees are $36.00/month with Tier 1 water at $3.05 per 1,000 gallons.

How do weather and climate affect seasonal utility bills in Denver vs Aurora?

Denver experiences 980 Cooling Degree Days (CDD) with a peak summer AC cost spike of 38%, whereas Aurora records 1304 CDD with a summer spike of 36%. Heating Degree Days (HDD) are 5800 in Denver versus 5433 in Aurora.

Denver, CO vs Aurora, SD Utility Costs Comparison (2026)

Interactive Simulation

Household Sizing Simulator

Select your home type to adjust estimated monthly consumption for Denver and Aurora.

Denver Est.

$335/mo

Power:$140

Water & Sewer:$84

Gas & Trash:$98

Projected Variance

+$42/mo

Aurora saves your household roughly $506 per year at this consumption tier.

Aurora Est.

$293/mo

Power:$123

Water & Sewer:$89

Gas & Trash:$87

Head-to-Head Utility Tariff Breakdown

Direct comparison of published rates, electric tariffs, and municipal meter charges.

EIA-861 Calibrated

Utility Component	Denver, CO	Aurora, SD
⚡ Residential Electric Rate ($/kWh)	$0.142 / kWh	$0.124 / kWh
Electric Monthly Customer Base Fee	$12.50/mo	$11.00/mo
Electric Provider & Market Structure	Xcel Energy Colorado Regulated Monopoly Utility	Xcel Energy / Black Hills Energy Regulated Monopoly Utility
♨️ Natural Gas Rate ($/Therm)	$1.18 / Therm	$1.02 / Therm
Natural Gas Fixed Customer Charge	$15.50/mo	$18.00/mo
💧 Water Base Meter Charge (5/8" - 3/4")	$16.50/mo	$15.00/mo
Water Tier 1 Volumetric (per 1,000 gal)	$3.10	$3.05
Water Tier 2 Conservation (per 1,000 gal)	$5.40	$4.70
Wastewater / Sewer Rates	Base: $14.50/mo Volumetric: $5.80/1k gal	Base: $21.00/mo Volumetric: $5.80/1k gal
🗑️ Curbside Solid Waste & Recycling	$29.00/mo	$23.00/mo
Stormwater Drainage Clean Water Fee	$6.80/mo	$4.00/mo
Initial Move-in Deposit / Connection Fee	Deposit: $150 – $250 Turn-on: $22.00	Deposit: $130 – $230 Turn-on: $20.00

Climate & Seasonal HVAC Load Drivers

NOAA degree-day data dictating peak air conditioning and heating power spikes.

NOAA 1991–2020 Normals

Climate Indicator	Denver, CO	Aurora, SD
☀️ Cooling Degree Days (CDD)	980 CDD	1,304 CDD
❄️ Heating Degree Days (HDD)	5,800 HDD	5,433 HDD
Peak Summer AC Bill Volatility	+38% Summer Spike	+36% Summer Spike
Regional Climate Summary	Semi-arid continental climate at 5,280 ft altitude with cold winters and sunny summer days.	NOAA 1991-2020 climate averages document 1,304 Cooling Degree Days and 5,433 Heating Degree Days annually across Brookings County.

Clean Energy & Solar Economics

Rooftop solar irradiance and net metering rules to mitigate high utility bills.

NREL Solar Data

Solar Component	Denver, CO	Aurora, SD
☀️ Daily Peak Sun Hours	5.3 hrs/day	4.2 hrs/day
Net Metering / Export Compensation	Colorado PUC 1:1 Net Metering with annual reconciliation rollover.	SD PUC net metering up to 100 kW with annual reconciliation at avoided cost.
City Solar Calculator	Denver Solar Estimator →	Aurora Solar Estimator →

🏙️ Denver Official Estimator

Denver, CO Utility Calculator

Access the interactive multi-utility calculator, municipal moving checklists, and verified billing schedules for Denver.

ZIP: denver Open Denver Hub →

🏙️ Aurora Official Estimator

Aurora, SD Utility Calculator

Access the interactive multi-utility calculator, municipal moving checklists, and verified billing schedules for Aurora.

ZIP: aurora Open Aurora Hub →

Common Inquiries

Frequently Asked Questions: Denver vs Aurora

Direct answers to key cost of living and utility comparison questions.

Is it cheaper to live in Denver or Aurora for utilities? ▼

Aurora, SD is approximately 14% cheaper than Denver, CO in overall monthly utility bills ($293/mo vs $335/mo). A typical household saves around $42 per month or $506 annually.

How do residential electric rates compare per kilowatt-hour? ▼

Residential electricity in Denver costs $0.142 per kWh supplied by Xcel Energy Colorado, compared to $0.124 per kWh in Aurora served by Xcel Energy / Black Hills Energy. For a home consuming 1,000 kWh per month, this rate difference accounts for $18.00 in monthly energy charges before fixed customer meter charges.

What is the water and sewer rate difference between Denver and Aurora? ▼

In Denver, the minimum fixed water meter charge is $16.50/mo plus $14.50/mo sewer baseline. In Aurora, the base water fee is $15.00/mo with $21.00/mo sewer baseline. Volumetric Tier 1 water is $3.10/1k gal in Denver versus $3.05/1k gal in Aurora.

How does weather and climate impact summer and winter power bills? ▼

Denver logs 980 Cooling Degree Days with a 38% summer AC bill surge. Conversely, Aurora records 1,304 CDD with a 36% summer surge. Heating Degree Days measure 5,800 in Denver versus 5,433 in Aurora.

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Denver vs Colorado Springs, CO $335 vs $319 → Denver vs New York City, NY $335 vs $440 → Denver vs New York, NY $335 vs $439 → Denver vs Los Angeles, CA $335 vs $395 →

📍 Popular Comparisons for Aurora

Aurora vs Sioux Falls, SD $293 vs $298 → Aurora vs Rapid City, SD $293 vs $293 → Aurora vs New York City, NY $293 vs $440 → Aurora vs New York, NY $293 vs $439 →

Denver, CO vs Aurora, SD

Denver

Aurora

Executive Summary & Citability Passage