London Bird

Hi All,

Could someone give me a rough idea of what the cost of utility bills are likely to be in NY (Manhatten)per month.

Looking for water, electricity, gas. Also do you have to pay for a TV licence? and is there a council tax or equivalent? and am I missing anything else?

Thanks

rpjs

We're just outside the city. We pay for electricity, gas for oven/stove and gas for hot water, which comes to about $100-200 all in a month for a 2-bed apartment depending on the season (a/c weather shoots the leccy right up)

For us heating and water is included in the rent, which would be typical for an apartment in NYC too. Our local property tax is also included in the rent. Not sure if the city has a property tax or not (if it does, it'd be part of your rent) but it does have a local income tax which I think is around 3% or so depending on your income.

There appears to be a lot of competition between the various phone/cable TV/broadband providers. We got a "triple play" bundle from Verizon FiOS for about $85 per month which from talking to colleagues appears to be a good deal. Best to shop around and see what offers are available.

There's no TV license [sic]! This is the Land of the Free doncha know. You are free to contribute as much or as little to PBS as you want

Bob

There's a thread running on this subject for California...the ball park figures will probably be the same for this...

All depends exactly on size/age of the place etc, but ball parks will still be about right.

the thing to really consider is the deposits you might be asked to pay to get anything signed up, having no US credit history...

Rete

Manhattan with 3 a's

Unless you are renting a house, which you won't be unless it is a townhouse perhaps, you won't be paying water. Electricity and gas is one provider. For a three room apartment, I pay on the E&G plan $123 a month. Last year the plan was $153 but I used less E&G so this year they lowered the projections for the year, hence the lower bill.

Not a television license but if you want more than 13 channels you will need to get Time Warner. Depending on the package of stations you want it can range from $99 a month up towards $175 a month. This will include your internet service.

Telephone charges land and/or land and cell. Again the cost depends on the package. I have a cell with only phone capacity, no text or internet, with TMobile and it is $49 a month.

Figure in your commute costs, i.e. metro card.

penguinbar

I use a level billing plan with Con Edison in which they average what you spend over the year and then figure that into your monthly bill. I pay $63 a month at the moment. I live in a one bedroom in Manhattan and use the ACquite a bit. I have Time Warner Cable. We have digital cable, HBO, Cinemax and Showtime along with internet for $168 a month. It would be about $40 cheaper without the extra channels.
We have a landline and 2 mobile phones on Verizon. Unlimited US long distance on the landline and 250 texts on each and 700 minutes on each mobile. That totals $153 a month. I rarely text and mainly make calls from my landline.

Using energy saving bulbs and Air conditioner does help.
As Rete says no charge for heat or hot water.

Rete

How do you get away with that low amount. Can I trade ya???

penguinbar

I don't know! I was actually only paying$ 36 a month only a few years ago! I also think certain buildings tend to have higher electricity rates. I know my last apartment it seemed much higher. I really think energy saving bulbs and appliences really help!

Rete

Stopped using the energy saving bulbs. Twice they nearly caused a fire when they burned out and we smelt something burning and traced it to the bulb which was super hot and giving off a strange smell.

Now that hubby has moved out and I'm at work everyday, the bill should get a lot lower. Next year will tell.

penguinbar

That's scary about the bulbs!