Is it cheaper to live in New York or Houston for monthly utilities?

Houston, TX is approximately 19% cheaper than New York, NY in average monthly utilities ($370/mo vs $439/mo), saving approximately $69 per month or $830 annually.

What is the average water and sewer bill in New York compared to Houston?

In New York, the minimum water and sewer base meter charge is $40.50/month with Tier 1 volumetric water priced at $4.03 per 1,000 gallons. In Houston, baseline fixed meter fees are $32.00/month with Tier 1 water at $4.10 per 1,000 gallons.

How do weather and climate affect seasonal utility bills in New York vs Houston?

New York experiences 1834 Cooling Degree Days (CDD) with a peak summer AC cost spike of 41%, whereas Houston records 3380 CDD with a summer spike of 65%. Heating Degree Days (HDD) are 4584 in New York versus 1320 in Houston.

New York, NY vs Houston, TX Utility Costs Comparison (2026)

Interactive Simulation

Household Sizing Simulator

Select your home type to adjust estimated monthly consumption for New York and Houston.

New York Est.

$439/mo

Power:$234

Water & Sewer:$108

Gas & Trash:$104

Projected Variance

+$69/mo

Houston saves your household roughly $830 per year at this consumption tier.

Houston Est.

$370/mo

Power:$145

Water & Sewer:$94

Gas & Trash:$96

Head-to-Head Utility Tariff Breakdown

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

EIA-861 Calibrated

Utility Component	New York, NY	Houston, TX
⚡ Residential Electric Rate ($/kWh)	$0.240 / kWh	$0.152 / kWh
Electric Monthly Customer Base Fee	$18.25/mo	$8.50/mo
Electric Provider & Market Structure	Consolidated Edison (ConEd) Deregulated REP Market	CenterPoint Energy (REP Choice) Deregulated REP Market
♨️ Natural Gas Rate ($/Therm)	$1.48 / Therm	$1.12 / Therm
Natural Gas Fixed Customer Charge	$23.25/mo	$17.50/mo
💧 Water Base Meter Charge (5/8" - 3/4")	$16.00/mo	$17.20/mo
Water Tier 1 Volumetric (per 1,000 gal)	$4.03	$4.10
Water Tier 2 Conservation (per 1,000 gal)	$5.12	$6.80
Wastewater / Sewer Rates	Base: $24.50/mo Volumetric: $7.29/1k gal	Base: $14.80/mo Volumetric: $6.20/1k gal
🗑️ Curbside Solid Waste & Recycling	$14.00/mo	$28.00/mo
Stormwater Drainage Clean Water Fee	$2.75/mo	$9.50/mo
Initial Move-in Deposit / Connection Fee	Deposit: $200 – $400 Turn-on: $30.00	Deposit: $150 – $350 (REP-specific) Turn-on: $30.00

Climate & Seasonal HVAC Load Drivers

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

NOAA 1991–2020 Normals

Climate Indicator	New York, NY	Houston, TX
☀️ Cooling Degree Days (CDD)	1,834 CDD	3,380 CDD
❄️ Heating Degree Days (HDD)	4,584 HDD	1,320 HDD
Peak Summer AC Bill Volatility	+41% Summer Spike	+65% Summer Spike
Regional Climate Summary	NOAA 1991-2020 climate averages document 1,834 Cooling Degree Days and 4,584 Heating Degree Days annually across New York County.	Tropical coastal moisture creates extreme dehumidification load from May through October.

Clean Energy & Solar Economics

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

NREL Solar Data

Solar Component	New York, NY	Houston, TX
☀️ Daily Peak Sun Hours	4.6 hrs/day	4.8 hrs/day
Net Metering / Export Compensation	NYSERDA NY-Sun Rebate + NY PSC Value of Distributed Energy Resources (VDER) & 1:1 net metering.	CenterPoint territory with retail electric provider solar buyback plans and battery peak export incentives.
City Solar Calculator	New York Solar Estimator →	Houston Solar Estimator →

🏙️ New York Official Estimator

New York, NY Utility Calculator

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

ZIP: new-york Open New York Hub →

🏙️ 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 →

Common Inquiries

Frequently Asked Questions: New York vs Houston

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

Is it cheaper to live in New York or Houston for utilities? ▼

Houston, TX is approximately 19% cheaper than New York, NY in overall monthly utility bills ($370/mo vs $439/mo). A typical household saves around $69 per month or $830 annually.

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

Residential electricity in New York costs $0.240 per kWh supplied by Consolidated Edison (ConEd), compared to $0.152 per kWh in Houston served by CenterPoint Energy (REP Choice). For a home consuming 1,000 kWh per month, this rate difference accounts for $88.00 in monthly energy charges before fixed customer meter charges.

What is the water and sewer rate difference between New York and Houston? ▼

In New York, the minimum fixed water meter charge is $16.00/mo plus $24.50/mo sewer baseline. In Houston, the base water fee is $17.20/mo with $14.80/mo sewer baseline. Volumetric Tier 1 water is $4.03/1k gal in New York versus $4.10/1k gal in Houston.

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

New York logs 1,834 Cooling Degree Days with a 41% summer AC bill surge. Conversely, Houston records 3,380 CDD with a 65% summer surge. Heating Degree Days measure 4,584 in New York versus 1,320 in Houston.

Related Metro Comparisons

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Compare New York or Houston against neighboring cities and prominent US metro destinations.

📍 Popular Comparisons for New York

New York vs New York City, NY $439 vs $440 → New York vs Brooklyn, NY $439 vs $439 → New York vs Los Angeles, CA $439 vs $395 → New York vs Chicago, IL $439 vs $365 →

📍 Popular Comparisons for Houston

Houston vs San Antonio, TX $370 vs $310 → Houston vs Dallas, TX $370 vs $355 → Houston vs New York City, NY $370 vs $440 → Houston vs Los Angeles, CA $370 vs $395 →

New York, NY vs Houston, TX

New York

Houston

Executive Summary & Citability Passage