The real cost of living & owning a home
Real electricity, water, internet, gas, sewer, waste, property tax, HOA, rent & mortgage bills — shared by neighbors, mapped by city. See how much your neighbor really pays, across the US & the world.
Real costs, from real people — in 3 steps
Explore the map
Tap any state or country to see real electricity, water, internet, gas and rent bills shared by people who actually live there.
Share your bills
Post your own utility bills, rent or mortgage — anonymously if you prefer. Add usage details, your provider, and notes that help neighbors.
Compare & decide
Use the calculator and comparison tools to see exactly what it costs to live somewhere — before you move. No more guessing.
The real cost, mapped city by city
Tap a state to drill into real resident bills. Switch to the world view to compare countries. Heat shows average monthly cost for the selected category.
Alameda vs. Oakland / Berkeley — one municipal border, ~40% cheaper power
The single most dramatic rate difference in the Bay Area happens when you cross the bridge onto the island City of Alameda. Alameda runs its own municipal power company; the rest of Alameda County relies on PG&E.
Alameda
Alameda Municipal Power
Oakland / Berkeley
PG&E
“PG&E at 43¢/kWh. Same 530 kWh usage as my friend in Alameda — their bill is $138, mine is $228. The municipal border is literally the water.”
— OaklandResident, verified post
What would it cost you to live here?
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What the community is sharing
See the most helpful bills, recent contributions, and top contributors helping neighbors understand the real cost of living.
Real bills, from real neighbors
Browse what people actually pay — filter by category, sort by cost or upvotes, and search any city or provider. Click any bill for the full breakdown.
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Cost-of-living insights, charted
Aggregate trends from every bill shared on RealCost — average cost by category, the most and least expensive cities, and how provider rates stack up.
Who supplies your utilities — and what do they charge?
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Compare the cost of any two cities
Pick up to three cities and a category to see who pays more — and by how much. The Alameda vs. Oakland cliff is just one of thousands.
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Power bills, kWh usage & rates
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