While one technically could live without electricity, gas, water, and services like garbage collection, life would be a lot harder. The cost of utilities varies around the world, as does income. What may seem like not a lot of money for some people, can actually be a fortune for others. In the end, it's all proportional to how much a person earns in any given country.
In this gallery, we look at the average cost of utilities in a number of countries. The calculations are based on a 915-square-foot (85 sqm) apartment, which is roughly the size of a regular two-bedroom apartment. All prices are in US dollars. Click on.