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

Pittsburgh, PA is approximately 1% cheaper than Houston, TX in average monthly utilities ($365/mo vs $370/mo), saving approximately $5 per month or $60 annually.

How do residential electric rates compare between Pittsburgh and Houston?

Residential electricity in Pittsburgh is $0.174 per kWh served by Duquesne Light Company, compared to $0.152 per kWh in Houston served by CenterPoint Energy (REP Choice).

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

In Pittsburgh, the minimum water and sewer base meter charge is $61.50/month with Tier 1 volumetric water priced at $4.90 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 Pittsburgh vs Houston?

Pittsburgh experiences 880 Cooling Degree Days (CDD) with a peak summer AC cost spike of 32%, whereas Houston records 3380 CDD with a summer spike of 65%. Heating Degree Days (HDD) are 5750 in Pittsburgh versus 1320 in Houston.

Pittsburgh, PA vs Houston, TX Utility Costs Comparison (2026)

Interactive Simulation

Household Sizing Simulator

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

Pittsburgh Est.

$365/mo

Power:$169

Water & Sewer:$150

Gas & Trash:$72

Projected Variance

-$5/mo

Pittsburgh saves your household roughly $60 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	Pittsburgh, PA	Houston, TX
⚡ Residential Electric Rate ($/kWh)	$0.174 / kWh	$0.152 / kWh
Electric Monthly Customer Base Fee	$12.00/mo	$8.50/mo
Electric Provider & Market Structure	Duquesne Light Company Deregulated REP Market	CenterPoint Energy (REP Choice) Deregulated REP Market
♨️ Natural Gas Rate ($/Therm)	$1.22 / Therm	$1.12 / Therm
Natural Gas Fixed Customer Charge	$17.50/mo	$17.50/mo
💧 Water Base Meter Charge (5/8" - 3/4")	$26.50/mo	$17.20/mo
Water Tier 1 Volumetric (per 1,000 gal)	$4.90	$4.10
Water Tier 2 Conservation (per 1,000 gal)	$7.80	$6.80
Wastewater / Sewer Rates	Base: $35.00/mo Volumetric: $9.80/1k gal	Base: $14.80/mo Volumetric: $6.20/1k gal
🗑️ Curbside Solid Waste & Recycling	$0.00/mo	$28.00/mo
Stormwater Drainage Clean Water Fee	$8.50/mo	$9.50/mo
Initial Move-in Deposit / Connection Fee	Deposit: $160 – $280 Turn-on: $20.00	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	Pittsburgh, PA	Houston, TX
☀️ Cooling Degree Days (CDD)	880 CDD	3,380 CDD
❄️ Heating Degree Days (HDD)	5,750 HDD	1,320 HDD
Peak Summer AC Bill Volatility	+32% Summer Spike	+65% Summer Spike
Regional Climate Summary	Humid continental climate with freezing, cloudy winters and warm, humid summers.	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	Pittsburgh, PA	Houston, TX
☀️ Daily Peak Sun Hours	4.1 hrs/day	4.8 hrs/day
Net Metering / Export Compensation	PA PUC 1:1 retail net metering up to 50 kW with annual credit cashout.	CenterPoint territory with retail electric provider solar buyback plans and battery peak export incentives.
City Solar Calculator	Pittsburgh Solar Estimator →	Houston Solar Estimator →

🏙️ Pittsburgh Official Estimator

Pittsburgh, PA Utility Calculator

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

ZIP: pittsburgh Open Pittsburgh 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: Pittsburgh vs Houston

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

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

Pittsburgh, PA is approximately 1% cheaper than Houston, TX in overall monthly utility bills ($365/mo vs $370/mo). A typical household saves around $5 per month or $60 annually.

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

Residential electricity in Pittsburgh costs $0.174 per kWh supplied by Duquesne Light Company, 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 $22.00 in monthly energy charges before fixed customer meter charges.

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

In Pittsburgh, the minimum fixed water meter charge is $26.50/mo plus $35.00/mo sewer baseline. In Houston, the base water fee is $17.20/mo with $14.80/mo sewer baseline. Volumetric Tier 1 water is $4.90/1k gal in Pittsburgh versus $4.10/1k gal in Houston.

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

Pittsburgh logs 880 Cooling Degree Days with a 32% summer AC bill surge. Conversely, Houston records 3,380 CDD with a 65% summer surge. Heating Degree Days measure 5,750 in Pittsburgh versus 1,320 in Houston.

Related Metro Comparisons

Explore Other City Comparisons

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

📍 Popular Comparisons for Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia, PA $365 vs $380 → Pittsburgh vs New York City, NY $365 vs $440 → Pittsburgh vs Los Angeles, CA $365 vs $395 → Pittsburgh vs Chicago, IL $365 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 →

Pittsburgh, PA vs Houston, TX

Pittsburgh

Houston

Executive Summary & Citability Passage