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Average Electric Bill in South Carolina

Residential · 12-month average, June 2025 – May 2026.

$164per month▲ 4.9% vs. the year before

That works out to about $1,971 a year. Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina has the 15th highest average residential bill.

What makes up the bill

Price
15.48¢
per kWh
▼ 13.2%U.S. 17.84¢
Usage
1,061 kWh
per month
▲ 21.8%U.S. 871 kWh
Bill
$164
per month
▲ 5.7%U.S. $155

Price × usage = bill, exactly: 15.48¢/kWh × 1,061 kWh ≈ $164. A state can land high on either factor — South Carolina pays below the national rate but uses much more power than average.

Compared with nearby states

Average monthly residential electricity bill, in US dollars
South Carolina
$164
U.S. average
$155
Georgia
$161
North Carolina
$150

South Carolina is $9 a month above (+5.7%) the U.S. average of $155. Neighboring states share fuel mixes, weather, and often a grid operator, which makes them a closer benchmark than the national average.

Trend since 2008

South CarolinaU.S.
$99$116$134$152$169Dec '08Apr '13Sep '17Jan '22May '26South CarolinaU.S.

Each point is a trailing 12-month average, which strips out the summer/winter swing and leaves the underlying trend. Bills start in January 2008 because that is when EIA began reporting customer counts.

Seasonal swing

Highest month
$222
July 2025
Lowest month
$128
November 2025
Swing
$94
peak minus low
Latest month
$148
May 2026

Actual bills are far from flat: South Carolina peaks in July 2025 and bottoms out in November 2025. The headline figure above is the average across all twelve months.

South Carolina electricity bills in context

The average monthly electricity bill in South Carolina is $164, ranking 15th among the 50 states and DC. This figure is $9 higher than the national average of $155, a gap of 5.7%. South Carolina homeowners pay less per kilowatt-hour at 15.48¢/kWh compared with the national rate of 17.84¢/kWh, but they use substantially more electricity—1,061 kWh per month against the national average of 871 kWh. The higher consumption drives the bill above the national level despite the lower rate.

Over the past year, the average bill climbed from $157 to $164, an increase of 4.9%. The longer view shows steeper growth: since May 2021, the bill has risen 17.1%, from $140. Over the full span since December 2008, it has grown 38.7%, from $118. Seasonally, bills peak in July 2025 at $222 and reach their lowest point in November 2025 at $128, a swing of $94 around the twelve-month average.

Among bordering states, North Carolina's average bill of $150 falls below South Carolina's, while Georgia's $161 sits closer but still underneath. South Carolina's electricity costs rank in the middle tier nationally, pulled higher by consumption patterns that exceed those of most other regions.

Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

›How much is the average electric bill in South Carolina?
The average residential electricity bill in South Carolina is $164 a month, or about $1,971 a year. That is the average across June 2025 – May 2026, calculated from EIA data as total residential electricity revenue divided by the number of residential customers.
›Is the electric bill in South Carolina higher than the national average?
South Carolina's average bill of $164 is $9 a month higher than the U.S. average of $155. It ranks 15th highest among the 50 states and DC.
›Why is electricity expensive in South Carolina?
A bill is the price per kilowatt-hour multiplied by how much power a household uses. In South Carolina the residential rate averages 15.48¢/kWh against a U.S. average of 17.84¢, and the typical home uses 1,061 kWh a month against a U.S. average of 871 kWh. South Carolina pays below the national rate but uses much more power than average.
›When is the electric bill highest in South Carolina?
South Carolina bills peak in July 2025 at $222 and are lowest in November 2025 at $128 — a swing of $94 between the most and least expensive month.
›How does South Carolina compare with neighboring states?
Among states bordering South Carolina, Georgia has the highest average bill at $161 and North Carolina the lowest at $150. South Carolina itself averages $164 a month.

How this is calculated

EIA’s retail-sales dataset reports, for every state and month, total residential revenue and the number of residential customers served. The average monthly bill is simply the first divided by the second — total spending across all households, spread evenly over all accounts.

bill = revenue ÷ customers · averaged over 12 months (June 2025 – May 2026)

Two caveats worth knowing. It is an average, so it blends apartments with large houses — a typical household in South Carolina may pay well above or below $164. And it counts what was actually billed for electricity, including fixed service charges, so it is not the same as multiplying your own usage by the advertised rate.

Looking for the rate rather than the bill? See South Carolina electricity prices by sector.