Maryland Has 9th Highest Utility Costs, Study Finds

MARYLAND — Maryland ranks 9th among states based on utility bills in a review of costs put together by Move.org. Researchers from the organization, which specializes in moving, set out to learn what utility costs were from state to state.

Overall, homeowners should budget around $400 monthly, researchers found. Apartment dwellers should plan to spend between at least $100 to $150 per month for utilities, analysts said.

Researchers broke down utility costs in different states for those who were considering moving and said: "If you're staying where you are but you want to take a closer look at your monthly utility costs, learn what you should be spending, and even get some tips that can help you save money on your bills, keep reading."

Here's what utility bills in Maryland look like, according to the study:

• Rank: 9
• Electricity: $131.16
• Natural gas: $73.95
• Water: $70.39
• Internet: $60
• Cable: $85
• Total: $420.50

Check out the full report with state-by-state comparisons from Move.org.

Highest And Lowest: Hawaii And New Mexico

To break even, one might head to New Mexico, where the total average is the nation's lowest at $344.55, according to the report.

"While residents of many states have slightly lower gas bills, none have electricity bills that can rival New Mexico's for affordability," researchers wrote.

These are the 10 states with the lowest utility bills, according to the study:

1. New Mexico
2. Utah
3. Colorado
4. Montana
5. Idaho
6. Wisconsin
7. Illinois
8. Michigan
9. Minnesota
10. Wyoming

Hawaii has the nation's highest average electricity bill at $587.79, according to the findings.

"It actually isn't the highest utility bill in Hawaii," researchers wrote. "That honor goes to Hawaii's average gas bill, which costs a little over $223 a month (and is the highest average gas bill in the United States). Together, these utilities mean the average Hawaiian pays more each month for utilities than residents of other states."

These are the most expensive states for utilities, according to Move.org:

1. Hawaii
2. Florida
3. South Carolina
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Connecticut
7. Arizona
8. Delaware
9. Maryland
10. New Hampshire

Virginia was No. 11.

Here's a look at the average monthly utility costs in the U.S. overall:

• Electricity: $110.76
• Natural gas: $72.10
• Water: $70.39
• Cable TV: $85
• Internet: $60
• Trash/recycling: $14
• Total cost: $398.24

How States Were Ranked

The report's authors broke down their methodology:

Electricity bill costs were based on the average electricity consumption and pricing information from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Natural gas bill costs were gleaned from average gas usage and prices from TECO Energy.

Internet and cable pricing information on research from the Leichtman Research Group as reported by USA Today.

To calculate water bill costs, researchers found residential water usage information from Circle of Blue,40 then tracked down how much water costs from a separate Circle of Blue study.

After averaging these elements, the researchers came up with the average monthly bill, and states were ranked accordingly.

— By Patch editors Tony Cantu and Elizabeth Janney