Latest news with #utility bills
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Energy, water, and waste: How much do Europeans pay for household bills?
How much do you pay for utility bills? Do you think it's more than in other European cities? According to Deutsche Bank's Mapping the World's Prices report, which covers 67 cities worldwide including 28 in Europe, basic utility costs in 2025 differ significantly across the continent. Monthly basic utilities include electricity, heating, cooling, water and garbage for an 85m2 apartment. Europe clearly dominates the global list, with almost all of the top 20 most expensive cities for basic utilities located in the continent. Only two non-European cities make the top 20. So, which cities have the highest and lowest bills? How does your city compare? And what about major cities outside Europe? Germany is the most expensive country Overall, monthly basic utility costs range from €24 in Cairo to €370 in Munich. In Europe, the cheapest city is Istanbul, where utilities cost just €68. Within the EU, Helsinki is the most affordable at €115. It's not just Munich at the top. Two other German cities also rank third and fourth. This makes Germany the most expensive country for basic utilities. On average, residents pay €339 in Frankfurt and €333 in Berlin. Related Cost of living: Which are the cheapest and most expensive countries in Europe? Edinburgh ranks second in basic utility costs Edinburgh ranks second among the most expensive European cities for utility bills. Residents pay €346 on average. Other UK cities are also costly. London ranks seventh and Birmingham eleventh overall. Basic utilities in London cost €295, and €270 in Birmingham. The top 10 most expensive cities also include €327 in Warsaw, €304 in Vienna, €286 in Prague, €275 in Amsterdam, and €271 in Oslo. Tel Aviv (12th, €245) and Hong Kong (19th, €211) are the only two non-European cities in the top 20. Where are the lowest utility bills? After Istanbul (€68) and Helsinki (€115), the lowest utility costs are found in Budapest and Lisbon (both €135), followed by Barcelona (€170) and Madrid (€180). Average basic utility bills are also under €200 in Athens (€197) and Copenhagen (€182). In Italy, utility costs are right around the €200 mark: €200 in Milan and €202 in Rome. In general, utility costs tend to be higher in Northern and Western Europe, while they are lower in Central, Eastern, and parts of Southern Europe. San Francisco is the most expensive US city on the list, with utility costs at €202. In New York, the average is €181, though several other cities fall in between. In Tokyo, utility costs average €151. In Toronto, they're €107, and in Beijing, just €52. Related No holiday for 42 million EU workers: Where is holiday the most unaffordable in Europe? Can you afford to live here? Europe's cities ranked by rent-to-salary ratio How much have utility costs risen over the past five years? Over the past five years, from 2020 to 2025, monthly basic utility costs in euros have risen significantly in many European cities. Stockholm tops the list with a 176% increase, followed by another Nordic city, Oslo, at 133%. For cities where the currency is not the euro, looking at changes in national currencies may give a clearer picture, as part of the increase is due to exchange rate fluctuations. The increase also exceeds 90% in several cities: Warsaw (112%), Brussels (97%), Birmingham (96%), and Edinburgh (93%). Monthly basic utility costs have risen by around 50% in German cities, where residents already pay the highest bills in Europe. In Europe, Copenhagen (-7%) and Budapest (-6%) are the only two cities where utility costs declined during this period, in euro terms. Which cities spend the most on utilities as a share of salary? The portion of average net salaries spent on basic utilities varies widely across Europe. It ranges from just 3.2% in Geneva and 3.3% in Zurich to 18.8% in Athens, closely followed by Warsaw at 17.6%. Across all cities, Montreal (2.6%) has the lowest share of net salary spent on utilities, while Manila (25.9%) has the highest, with more than a quarter of income going to basic utilities. In Europe, this is around 9–10% in several countries. These shares are influenced not only by utility costs but also by income levels. In Europe, in 2025, Swiss cities have the highest average monthly net salaries: €7,307 in Geneva, closely followed by Zurich (€7,127). Istanbul has the lowest average salary at €855, while within the EU, Athens ranks lowest at €1,044. People in the Northern and Western European cities are well-paid. The net salaries are above €4,000 in Luxembourg, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Frankfurt according to the report. Euronews Business articles on electricity and gas prices across Europe comprehensively explain why energy prices differ so much. Differences in energy sources, pricing strategies, subsidies, and support measures all influence how utility prices are formed. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also had a significant impact on energy prices across Europe. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
17-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
ComEd Customer Relief Fund nearly out of money; nearly 60,000 applications received
ComEd said they will soon close applications for help from their $10 million customer relief fund as they are nearly out of money. The utility opened applications for the fund last week, offering one-time relief to low and moderate-income customers and nonprofit organizations amid rising electricity prices. Individuals could apply for one-time grants of $500, while nonprofits could apply for one-time grants of $1,000. ComEd said Thursday morning they have received almost 60,000 applications, which are being reviewed. Based on the high demand, they anticipate the fund will soon close its application process. ComEd said they will make another announcement when the funds are fully exhausted. The cost of electricity rose significantly in Illinois at the start of the summer and is expected to stay high for the next year due to increases in the supply rate. ComEd has estimated the increase could cost customers an extra $10.50 a month. The watchdog group Citizens Utility Board said the fact that ComEd is offering the credit is an acknowledgement of just how serious the latest price spike is.
Free Malaysia Today
11-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Power rate hike will hit middle class, says DAP man
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng and DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng said the government should put the new power tariff rates on hold. PETALING JAYA : A DAP leader has criticised Tenaga Nasional Berhad's move to increase power tariffs, saying the decision showed the national utility company was disconnected from the current realities on the ground. Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng claimed that while the restructured tariffs meant the industrial and commercial sector would be paying higher rates, domestic users, especially those from the middle class, would also be impacted. He said the middle class did not receive full subsidies like the B40s and would not be able to bear the additional cost. 'Young families who have just bought homes, factory workers renting shared air-conditioned rooms, and small traders like tailors and hawkers are now faced with soaring monthly bills, even though their usage is for basic needs, not luxury,' he said in a statement. Lim, who is also the Kuala Lumpur DAP secretary, said the decision to revise the rates was ill-timed and misguided. He claimed that many consumers were caught by surprise when they were billed based on the new rates without proper explanation, while glitches plaguing TNB's mobile app compounded matters. 'This raises the question of whether TNB was truly prepared before rolling out such a major change,' he said. Under the new tariff scheme, effective from July 1 to the end of 2027, the base average tariff increased to 45.4 sen/kWh from 39.95 sen/kWh. The Energy Commission said, however, that some 23.6 million domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia would enjoy fairer electricity rates and, in turn, lower costs of living. TNB said consumers using less than 600 kWh a month were exempted from the new retail electricity tariffs. Lim also called for the government to put the new tariff rates on hold. Meanwhile, DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng said the power bill hike should be reviewed in light of new risks following the US's decision to impose a 25% reciprocal tariff on Malaysian goods. 'A freeze or a pause in the 14.2% hike in electricity tariffs for businesses is necessary to help Malaysians face the 25% reciprocal tariff imposed by the US,' he said in a statement. Separately, he welcomed Bank Negara Malaysia's reduction of interest rates, but said more was needed to protect companies and families. On July 9, the central bank reduced the overnight policy rate by 25 basis points to 2.75% from 3%, in view of global economic growth and consumer spending. 'Our economy could be further strengthened, businesses prosper and people's lives better if the government can pause or freeze all hikes in utility charges,' Guan Eng said. The former finance minister hoped the matter would be raised at a meeting between Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim and the coalition's MPs on Monday.
