America’s utility landscape paints a very different picture than its broader cost-of-living map. While several Western states benefit from access to lower-cost power sources like hydropower, some otherwise affordable regions face surprisingly high energy expenses.
Using Q1 2026 data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center's (MERIC) C2ER Cost of Living Index, this gallery looks at home energy and phone prices against a national average benchmark of 100. Each state’s listing features its utility cost index and percentage variance above or below the US average.
Click on to explore how the top 30 compare.