Is it cheaper to live in Houston or San Antonio for monthly utilities?

San Antonio, TX is approximately 19% cheaper than Houston, TX in average monthly utilities ($310/mo vs $370/mo), saving approximately $60 per month or $720 annually.

How do residential electric rates compare between Houston and San Antonio?

Residential electricity in Houston is $0.152 per kWh served by CenterPoint Energy (REP Choice), compared to $0.129 per kWh in San Antonio served by CPS Energy.

What is the average water and sewer bill in Houston compared to San Antonio?

In Houston, the minimum water and sewer base meter charge is $32.00/month with Tier 1 volumetric water priced at $4.10 per 1,000 gallons. In San Antonio, baseline fixed meter fees are $25.90/month with Tier 1 water at $2.95 per 1,000 gallons.

How do weather and climate affect seasonal utility bills in Houston vs San Antonio?

Houston experiences 3380 Cooling Degree Days (CDD) with a peak summer AC cost spike of 65%, whereas San Antonio records 3100 CDD with a summer spike of 52%. Heating Degree Days (HDD) are 1320 in Houston versus 1520 in San Antonio.

Houston, TX vs San Antonio, TX Utility Costs Comparison (2026)

Interactive Simulation

Household Sizing Simulator

Select your home type to adjust estimated monthly consumption for Houston and San Antonio.

Houston Est.

$370/mo

Power:$145

Water & Sewer:$94

Gas & Trash:$96

Projected Variance

+$60/mo

San Antonio saves your household roughly $720 per year at this consumption tier.

San Antonio Est.

$310/mo

Power:$127

Water & Sewer:$71

Gas & Trash:$89

Head-to-Head Utility Tariff Breakdown

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

EIA-861 Calibrated

Utility Component	Houston, TX	San Antonio, TX
⚡ Residential Electric Rate ($/kWh)	$0.152 / kWh	$0.129 / kWh
Electric Monthly Customer Base Fee	$8.50/mo	$10.50/mo
Electric Provider & Market Structure	CenterPoint Energy (REP Choice) Deregulated REP Market	CPS Energy Regulated Monopoly Utility
♨️ Natural Gas Rate ($/Therm)	$1.12 / Therm	$1.08 / Therm
Natural Gas Fixed Customer Charge	$17.50/mo	$14.00/mo
💧 Water Base Meter Charge (5/8" - 3/4")	$17.20/mo	$14.10/mo
Water Tier 1 Volumetric (per 1,000 gal)	$4.10	$2.95
Water Tier 2 Conservation (per 1,000 gal)	$6.80	$4.80
Wastewater / Sewer Rates	Base: $14.80/mo Volumetric: $6.20/1k gal	Base: $11.80/mo Volumetric: $4.60/1k gal
🗑️ Curbside Solid Waste & Recycling	$28.00/mo	$26.50/mo
Stormwater Drainage Clean Water Fee	$9.50/mo	$6.50/mo
Initial Move-in Deposit / Connection Fee	Deposit: $150 – $350 (REP-specific) Turn-on: $30.00	Deposit: $120 – $200 Turn-on: $18.00

Climate & Seasonal HVAC Load Drivers

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

NOAA 1991–2020 Normals

Climate Indicator	Houston, TX	San Antonio, TX
☀️ Cooling Degree Days (CDD)	3,380 CDD	3,100 CDD
❄️ Heating Degree Days (HDD)	1,320 HDD	1,520 HDD
Peak Summer AC Bill Volatility	+65% Summer Spike	+52% Summer Spike
Regional Climate Summary	Tropical coastal moisture creates extreme dehumidification load from May through October.	Semi-arid to humid transitional climate; Edwards Aquifer conservation stages impact water tier surcharges.

Clean Energy & Solar Economics

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

NREL Solar Data

Solar Component	Houston, TX	San Antonio, TX
☀️ Daily Peak Sun Hours	4.8 hrs/day	5.1 hrs/day
Net Metering / Export Compensation	CenterPoint territory with retail electric provider solar buyback plans and battery peak export incentives.	CPS Energy Net Billing with residential cash rebates of $2,500-$3,000 for verified local installations.
City Solar Calculator	Houston Solar Estimator →	San Antonio Solar Estimator →

🏙️ Houston Official Estimator

Houston, TX Utility Calculator

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

ZIP: houston Open Houston Hub →

🏙️ San Antonio Official Estimator

San Antonio, TX Utility Calculator

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

ZIP: san-antonio Open San Antonio Hub →

Common Inquiries

Frequently Asked Questions: Houston vs San Antonio

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

Is it cheaper to live in Houston or San Antonio for utilities? ▼

San Antonio, TX is approximately 19% cheaper than Houston, TX in overall monthly utility bills ($310/mo vs $370/mo). A typical household saves around $60 per month or $720 annually.

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

Residential electricity in Houston costs $0.152 per kWh supplied by CenterPoint Energy (REP Choice), compared to $0.129 per kWh in San Antonio served by CPS Energy. For a home consuming 1,000 kWh per month, this rate difference accounts for $23.00 in monthly energy charges before fixed customer meter charges.

What is the water and sewer rate difference between Houston and San Antonio? ▼

In Houston, the minimum fixed water meter charge is $17.20/mo plus $14.80/mo sewer baseline. In San Antonio, the base water fee is $14.10/mo with $11.80/mo sewer baseline. Volumetric Tier 1 water is $4.10/1k gal in Houston versus $2.95/1k gal in San Antonio.

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

Houston logs 3,380 Cooling Degree Days with a 65% summer AC bill surge. Conversely, San Antonio records 3,100 CDD with a 52% summer surge. Heating Degree Days measure 1,320 in Houston versus 1,520 in San Antonio.

Related Metro Comparisons

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Houston vs Dallas, TX $370 vs $355 → Houston vs New York City, NY $370 vs $440 → Houston vs Los Angeles, CA $370 vs $395 → Houston vs Chicago, IL $370 vs $365 →

📍 Popular Comparisons for San Antonio

San Antonio vs Dallas, TX $310 vs $355 → San Antonio vs New York City, NY $310 vs $440 → San Antonio vs Los Angeles, CA $310 vs $395 → San Antonio vs Chicago, IL $310 vs $365 →

Houston, TX vs San Antonio, TX

Houston

San Antonio

Executive Summary & Citability Passage