The average American household spent $63,000 in 2019.
- Housing: $20,679
- Utilities: $4,055 with $1,380 for electricity
- Transportation: $10,742
- Food: $8,169
- Healthcare: $5,193
The annual cost of electricity is similar to how much Americans spend on:
- Food they don’t eat
- One month of rent
- Electronic devices
Compared to other usual household expenses, the cost of electricity is fairly stable.
| Item | Average Price: January 2001 | Average Price: January 2021 | Highest Average Cost | Change |
| Milk (one gallon) | $2.78 | $3.47 | $3.59 | 25% |
| Coffee (one pound) | $3.54 | $4.79 | $6.09 | 30% |
| Electricity (one kilowatt-hour) | $0.084 | $0.136 | $0.143 | 62%* |
| Gasoline (one gallon) | $1.30 | $2.33 | $4.09 | 79% |
| Oranges (one pound) | $0.69 | $1.31 | $1.59 | 113% |
*Public power prices rose 4.5 cents compared to 5.2 cents nationally during this time.
In 2020, the cost of electricity rose 2.2%, while food prices rose an average of 3.9% and the price of natural gas rose 4.1%.
As efficiency goes up, the cost comes down.
The average household used 2.3% less electricity in 2019 compared to 2009 – or $36 in savings.
