Curious if anyone can give an insight on average utility costs in areas around Pittsburgh for 3-4 bdrm home

Submitted by No-Camp9363 t3_10k7b8a in pittsburgh

We are moving to Pittsburgh from NorCal this summer and we are making a rough estimate on finances. I am curious if someone can give an average cost of water, trash, natural gas heat for an average suburban house with no pool. For example, our water bill for doing nothing but general house tasks like bathing and laundry (no garden or pool) is $130-$150 a month. My SIL in Vegas has a pool and irrigation for her plants and pays $30 a month. Our trash bill is over $100 for a small can and recycling every two months. Heating with summer a/c which we run average amount (and yes we had a week of over 103 degrees) is around $250-$400 a month. We are also on a tiered electric/gas system where the company charges you more at peak 4pm-9pm hours. Just trying to get a clue on the expenses outside of mortgage and property tax (which is high in Pitt). Thanks!

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Jumpy-Natural4868 t1_j5oyhvf wrote

> My SIL in Vegas has a pool and irrigation for her plants and pays $30 a month

This is part of the reason why the southwest has the water issues they do.

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No-Camp9363 OP t1_j5oz5wk wrote

Vegas actually isn’t doing badly. In fact, the use only a fraction of their allotted water amount. I had the same belief before.

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Jumpy-Natural4868 t1_j5paxxp wrote

$30 is still way too cheap in an area without water. I know agriculture takes up a ton of the water, much more than people living out there, but the price signals need to coordinate with the supply.

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alwaysboopthesnoot t1_j5petf1 wrote

Isn’t doing too badly em. But if they lose access to Lake Mead water, or Lake Mead water levels go even lower, that’s like 80-90% of their water supply.

They should be charging far more for water, and using far less.

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No-Camp9363 OP t1_j5qwx28 wrote

Absolutely. We all need to use less out west. Although our town just got 34" of rain from 12/26-1/17 and our supply is suddenly better. We have been in such a drought that they have let everything die while Vegas has the greenest grass I have seen in years.

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hambone012 t1_j5peip9 wrote

Relax with the virtue signaling it’s tiresome

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timesuck t1_j5ovety wrote

What suburb? And what’s the house like?

Costs are going to vary depending on location, the age of the house, square footage, age of HVAC, etc, but I think your costs are going to be pretty close to what you’re paying now.

You might save a few bucks on trash depending on where you land, but in general utilities aren’t at a discount here and they’re only going up.

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No-Camp9363 OP t1_j5ovooq wrote

Ok ty! I’m thinking Mt. Lebanon. House 1500sq ft. Fairly average.

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kimbecile t1_j5ozjmq wrote

Keep in mind the condition of the house. Older houses, drafty and maybe poor insulation. That will jack up your bills also. I'm dealing with that now. My house is 130 years old and drafttttyyy AF

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No-Camp9363 OP t1_j5p1bxb wrote

Great point. I have looked online at older homes that are updated and the first thing I think of is growing up in an old house in Ohio and having the wood floors feel like ice and seeing your breath in the morning because the heater was so inefficient.

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timesuck t1_j5ox0i7 wrote

Cool, hopefully someone who lives around there can chime in with more specifics.

I think trash and recycling are included with your local taxes there (same as in the City), so that’s a small relief.

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linzangel_05 t1_j5pauk1 wrote

I’ll throw in some numbers to help out, but I’m not in the same neighborhood so not sure how it will compare. For our 1800 sq ft house, which is old and leaky, we just paid: $222 electric $242 gas (furnace and stove) Our water, sewage, and garbage are together and paid quarterly. Our last bill was $444 (so $148/month). We do garden and have a kid who wastes a lot of water.

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CanIHelp2452 t1_j5pq3eu wrote

Yup! This is similar for my 3 bed home

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DrB_477 t1_j5qyt24 wrote

i rent out a similar size home built in 60s not super tight but not horribly drafty. tenants pay about $500 annualized monthly average between electric and gas together, water/sewage is about $100, trash is about $30. as others said some areas roll trash into the taxes.

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Jumpy-Natural4868 t1_j5pomde wrote

You can find a typical home and then call the utilities and ask for a yearly average for that home. You don't know some factors such as insulation or what they keep the thermostat at but it's doable.

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pburgh2517 t1_j5ptzyl wrote

3 bedroom 1600 sqft…104 years old. Electric and gas (68° thermostat setting) are $100 a month each, water is $35, sewer is $40, trash is included in city taxes.

It’s just me in be house though.

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pitgirl235 t1_j5rtdmi wrote

I have a 100+ year old house that's about 1800 Sq foot. 2 adults and 2 teenage girls at the moment (oldest daughter at school). I pay about $140 each for gas and electric, $80 for water, and about $65 for garbage. We keep the house at 68 in the summer and between 65-67 in the winter.

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