Local utility bills shocking
by national standards

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By Russ Lynch
rlynch@starbulletin.com

Honolulu residents pay 81 percent more in household utility bills than the U.S. standard but still a small amount compared to some major cities around the world.

The average annual Honolulu tally for a three-bedroom house is $2,338 for electricity, oil, gas and water, according to a new study by Runzheimer International, a management consulting firm based in Rochester, Wis. Making a composite of costs in cities across the United States, Runzheimer came up with a national standard, its "Standard City, U.S.A.," of $1,291.

That is well short of the annual cost in Tokyo, $5,896, and only about half the cost in Hong Kong, $4,654. Third-highest is Mexico City at $4,521, followed by Paris, $4,247. Honolulu is in 11th place, after Jakarta, Indonesia, and above London.

On the bottom of the list, where the annual utility cost for a three-bedroom house is lowest, is Cairo, Egypt, at $970.

Runzheimer analyzed the most popular energy sources used in each city for heating, cooling, cooking and lighting, as well as the cost of the local water supply.