Electricity rates in South Carolina
The average home in South Carolina pays about 15.5¢ per kWh — 16% below the US average of 18.4¢. Here's the real trend, how it ranks, and what that rate means for your bills.
*A home using the US-average ~10.5k kWh/year at South Carolina's rate. Your bill depends on your own usage — find your true rate here.
South Carolina electricity price trend
Average residential rate, monthly, May 2023 – Apr 2026. Up 22% over the period.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Electric Power Monthly · range 13.21–17.06¢/kWh
How South Carolina compares
At 15.5¢/kWh, South Carolina has the 29th-highest residential electricity price of the 50 states and DC — 16% below the 18.4¢ US average. That's among the cheaper power in the country, which is good news for your monthly bill but changes the maths on things like solar and batteries. For context, the cheapest power in this data is Idaho at 12.3¢, and the most expensive is Hawaii at 41.1¢.
Over the period in the chart above, South Carolina's average rate has risen about 22% — in line with a long national trend of electricity prices climbing faster than they used to, driven by grid upgrades, fuel costs and surging demand.
What your rate means for the big decisions
Your electricity price is the single number that drives whether solar, an EV, or electric heating saves you money. At South Carolina's 15.5¢/kWh:
- Rooftop solar pays back in about 12.7 years for a typical home here — cheap power lengthens the payback, so run your own numbers before committing. See the full breakdown on the South Carolina solar payback page, including local utilities, net metering and incentives.
- Charging an EV at home costs about 6.2¢ per mile here, versus roughly 12.2¢/mile for a typical petrol car — see the South Carolina EV charging breakdown.
- Cooling and heating swing with this rate too — check what running your AC costs in South Carolina, or whether a heat pump beats gas at 15.5¢/kWh.
How to pay less
Whatever your state's rate, the cheapest kilowatt-hour is the one you don't buy. Our guide to cutting your electricity bill ranks every fix by the dollars it actually saves — and the three that don't move the needle.
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Electric Power Monthly — state average residential price. National average and rankings computed across all 50 states + DC. See our methodology. Figures are averages for guidance, not a quote for your home.