California Electricity Rates: Average Price and Monthly Bill
In August 2026, homes in California paid an average of 29.8¢ per kWh for electricity. The average monthly bill was $234.85, for an average use of 789 kWh, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Utilities in California on YepWatt
To estimate your own bill, open your utility’s page. It compares the utility’s rate plans with your usage, with or without an EV.
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company: PG&E rate plans compared and PG&E EV charging cost
- Sacramento Municipal Utility District: SMUD rate plans compared and SMUD EV charging cost
| Utility | Standard plan | Effective price at 1,000 kWh | State average |
|---|---|---|---|
| PG&E | Tiered Rate Plan (E-1) | 40.7¢/kWh | 29.8¢/kWh |
| SMUD | Time-of-Day (5-8 p.m.) Rate (RT02) | 18.6¢/kWh | 29.8¢/kWh |
These figures use the default Baseline territory “Territory X” and Heating type “Code B” for Tiered Rate Plan. To use yours, choose them under Your account in each utility’s calculator.
Average price and bill, last 12 months
| Month | Average price | Average bill | Average use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 29.8¢/kWh | $234.85 | 789 kWh |
| Jul 2026 | 33.6¢/kWh | $191.76 | 571 kWh |
| Jun 2026 | 34.7¢/kWh | $164.72 | 474 kWh |
| May 2026 | 33.3¢/kWh | $135.50 | 408 kWh |
| Apr 2026 | 35.3¢/kWh | $138.34 | 392 kWh |
| Mar 2026 | 33.3¢/kWh | $153.86 | 462 kWh |
| Feb 2026 | 33.2¢/kWh | $139.60 | 420 kWh |
| Jan 2026 | 30.3¢/kWh | $182.84 | 604 kWh |
| Dec 2025 | 30.0¢/kWh | $140.43 | 469 kWh |
| Nov 2025 | 32.0¢/kWh | $133.23 | 416 kWh |
| Oct 2025 | 33.6¢/kWh | $150.60 | 448 kWh |
| Sep 2025 | 31.9¢/kWh | $200.04 | 627 kWh |
Average price, last 3 years
All 36 months as a table
| Month | Average price | Average bill | Average use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | 29.8¢/kWh | $234.85 | 789 kWh |
| Jul 2026 | 33.6¢/kWh | $191.76 | 571 kWh |
| Jun 2026 | 34.7¢/kWh | $164.72 | 474 kWh |
| May 2026 | 33.3¢/kWh | $135.50 | 408 kWh |
| Apr 2026 | 35.3¢/kWh | $138.34 | 392 kWh |
| Mar 2026 | 33.3¢/kWh | $153.86 | 462 kWh |
| Feb 2026 | 33.2¢/kWh | $139.60 | 420 kWh |
| Jan 2026 | 30.3¢/kWh | $182.84 | 604 kWh |
| Dec 2025 | 30.0¢/kWh | $140.43 | 469 kWh |
| Nov 2025 | 32.0¢/kWh | $133.23 | 416 kWh |
| Oct 2025 | 33.6¢/kWh | $150.60 | 448 kWh |
| Sep 2025 | 31.9¢/kWh | $200.04 | 627 kWh |
| Aug 2025 | 30.9¢/kWh | $194.59 | 629 kWh |
| Jul 2025 | 31.7¢/kWh | $186.83 | 589 kWh |
| Jun 2025 | 32.4¢/kWh | $162.09 | 500 kWh |
| May 2025 | 32.5¢/kWh | $133.10 | 409 kWh |
| Apr 2025 | 27.8¢/kWh | $110.09 | 397 kWh |
| Mar 2025 | 31.6¢/kWh | $133.30 | 422 kWh |
| Feb 2025 | 31.6¢/kWh | $145.17 | 460 kWh |
| Jan 2025 | 30.1¢/kWh | $166.19 | 552 kWh |
| Dec 2024 | 30.6¢/kWh | $149.68 | 489 kWh |
| Nov 2024 | 30.2¢/kWh | $127.44 | 422 kWh |
| Oct 2024 | 32.5¢/kWh | $163.27 | 503 kWh |
| Sep 2024 | 31.8¢/kWh | $195.68 | 615 kWh |
| Aug 2024 | 31.2¢/kWh | $217.29 | 696 kWh |
| Jul 2024 | 32.7¢/kWh | $226.15 | 691 kWh |
| Jun 2024 | 33.2¢/kWh | $158.67 | 477 kWh |
| May 2024 | 34.6¢/kWh | $125.64 | 364 kWh |
| Apr 2024 | 34.5¢/kWh | $131.32 | 381 kWh |
| Mar 2024 | 32.5¢/kWh | $135.62 | 418 kWh |
| Feb 2024 | 31.4¢/kWh | $141.73 | 451 kWh |
| Jan 2024 | 29.6¢/kWh | $155.39 | 525 kWh |
| Dec 2023 | 29.1¢/kWh | $134.69 | 463 kWh |
| Nov 2023 | 29.5¢/kWh | $132.38 | 448 kWh |
| Oct 2023 | 31.8¢/kWh | $135.60 | 427 kWh |
| Sep 2023 | 30.0¢/kWh | $170.92 | 570 kWh |
What the average does and doesn’t tell you
EIA’s average price is the revenue that utilities in California collected from homes, divided by the kWh they sold. The revenue includes energy charges, customer charges, surcharges, fuel adjustments, and taxes the utility pays, and the average mixes every utility and rate plan in the state. So it doesn’t equal the price per kWh on any rate plan, and your bill depends on your utility, your plan, how much power you use, and when.
To estimate your own bill, open your utility’s page above, or use the electricity cost calculator with the price per kWh on your bill.
Sources
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Electricity Data Browser, retail sales (electricity/retail-sales), retrieved October 26, 2026. Average price, revenue, sales, and number of customers in the residential sector. The average bill is revenue divided by customers, and the average use is sales divided by customers.
- EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Technical Notes: how the average price is calculated and what the revenue includes.