# Apartment dwellers! A question for you! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2003, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715 "2003-07-20T07:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/21 "2003-07-20T18:25:29Z")
Atlanta here. One bedroom, 605 square feet. Our electric bill ranges from $30 in the winter to $60 in the summer. And the price of electricity has gone up, so it’ll probably be more. Gas is consistently around $35, though I think the only gas thing we have is the water heater. Water and Sewer is what gets us, it usually ranges around $50, though we use $14 worth of water, the trash pickup charges and such stack up. ---
**Author:** ![Maneb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Maneb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maneb)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/22 "2003-07-20T18:41:02Z")
One bedroom apt. in a suburb of Seattle. Electricity: $20 every other month. Gas: $15-20 a month. Water, Garbage covered in the rent. No AC, I keep the furnace off entirely unless the temperature drops below freezing. I could probably spend a whole lot more if I wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/23 "2003-07-20T18:44:23Z")
Santa Cruz, CA one-bedroom. In the winter it is around thirty and in the summer around fifteen. But back in Sacramento my mom would often pay up to $200 for her larger house. It is a matter of size and habits. In this house we just huddle under blankets in the dark, and the house is so small that running the heater for ten minutes will warm it up for the night. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/24 "2003-07-20T19:17:06Z")
Just as a warning–and I don’t know if this goes for all people, but it goes for us–a lot of times, useage will be a small chunk of the bill. For example, with gas we have: Base Charge Connection Charge Useage Charge AGL Charge etc. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/25 "2003-07-21T01:09:30Z")
It seems like utility bills (esp. electric) are going to vary depending on where in the US you live and who your provider is. I think the best thing to do in this case is ask someone at the apt complex what an average electric (and gas) bill would be for a 1 BR. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/26 "2003-07-21T02:03:59Z")
1 bedroom and my gas and electric ranges from 30-70, depending on the season. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/27 "2003-07-21T02:10:01Z")
What **ccwaterback** said; sheesh, and I live in an energy producing state. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/28 "2003-07-21T02:46:52Z")
I pay a flat rate to Georgia Power of 73 bucks a month, year-round. My apartment is total electric with central heat/air. No pay for water/sewage of trash pickup. It’s a 2 bedroom. Q ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/29 "2003-07-22T06:42:49Z")
2 bed, 1 bath, $30-40 each month. This with 3 computers on roughly 24/7 and another computer (and two monitors) that are on, I dunno, 5/7. We don’t use the heat (hell, I’ll leave my computer on all day if I need a space heater), so it’s pretty constant throughout the year. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/30 "2003-07-22T10:34:35Z")
I pay around $30 (many times less) for electricity/gas. Water is included in the rent. It’s a one bedroom, and I’m a tropical girl, so I can live without AC in Florida summers (I do use the fan some evenings). ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/31 "2003-07-22T11:17:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\*To be honest, I was expecting higher prices for electricity. > > Is power just more expensive here in the LA area? > > Or have I just been too trusting when roommates told me how much I owed on a power bill? \*\* I live in the LA area (kinda…) Gas and water and trash is paid for. I have a one bedroom, 800/month and my electricty fluctuates between 50 and 150 depending on the time of year. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/32 "2003-07-22T16:29:13Z")
LA area, about 30 bucks/month all year. We don’t use AC or the heaters, though. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/33 "2003-07-22T17:52:12Z")
I’m in a 1/1 in Austin TX…all electric…I pay about $40/month on average for power + utilities ---
**Author:** ![greyseal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@greyseal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greyseal)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/34 "2003-07-22T19:26:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\*BTW, it’s in Newhall, Ca! \*\* You picked a bad time of year to move to Newhall. We’re paying close to $200/month by using the A/C (1200 sq. ft condo in Canyon Country). And it’s never cooler than 80F. Is A/C included in your apartment? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715/35 "2003-07-22T21:04:23Z")
Clue: sometimes utilities are paid in some apartment buildings as a convienience to **the owner** and may be a sign of high turnover, low rates or who knows? I say, if you like the place, grab it! The numbers probably work out about right in the long run. Amusing anticdote: The last place I ever rented had elec and water paid. The landlord was a complete asshole. There was a chest freezer in the basement. I did nothing but make ice! I used to throw ice out into the snow to make room to make more! Showed them, those fucks! 😃 * * * _“Lets get them meek bastards **NOW!** ”_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apartment-dwellers-a-question-for-you/189715.md?page=1)