Average Electric Bill in South Carolina
Residential · 12-month average, September 2025 – August 2026.
That works out to about $2,023 a year. Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina has the 12th highest average residential bill.
Data current through August 2026 — the latest available from the U.S. EIA, which publishes monthly figures on a roughly two-month delay.
What makes up the bill
Price × usage = bill, exactly: 15.72¢/kWh × 1,072 kWh ≈ $169. 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
| South Carolina | $169 | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. average | $158 | |
| Georgia | $164 | |
| North Carolina | $154 |
South Carolina is $10 a month above (+6.4%) the U.S. average of $158. Neighboring states share fuel mixes, weather, and often a grid operator, which makes them a closer benchmark than the national average.
Trend since 2008
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
- $232
- July 2026
- Lowest month
- $128
- November 2025
- Swing
- $104
- peak minus low
- Latest month
- $226
- August 2026
Actual bills are far from flat: South Carolina peaks in July 2026 and bottoms out in November 2025. The headline figure above is the average across all twelve months.
South Carolina electricity bills in context
South Carolina's average monthly electricity bill is $169, the 12th highest of the 50 states and DC. The bill rose 5.9% from the prior year, when it stood at $159. Over the longer run, it has climbed 22.1% since August 2021 and 42.4% since December 2008.
The state pays 15.72¢/kWh, below the national average of 18.07¢/kWh. However, South Carolina homes consume 1,072 kWh per month, compared with a national average of 876 kWh per month. The combination places the monthly bill $11 above the national average of $158. Neighboring Georgia's bill is $164 and North Carolina's is $154.
Seasonal swings are pronounced. The bill peaks in July 2026 at $232 and reaches its lowest in November 2025 at $128, a difference of $104 from top to bottom.
Written from the EIA figures on this page, covering data through August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›How much is the average electric bill in South Carolina?
›Is the electric bill in South Carolina higher than the national average?
›Why is electricity relatively cheap in South Carolina?
›When is the electric bill highest in South Carolina?
›How does South Carolina compare with neighboring states?
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 (September 2025 – August 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 $169. 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.