Where solar power is cheaper than the utility's
Solar electricity from your own roof is cheaper than the utility's in 49 of 51, measured at today's power price. The gap is widest in Hawaii, 38.1 cents per kWh in solar's favour, and narrowest in Washington.
The table
| # | State | Solar per kWh | Utility per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii* | 9.9¢ | 48.0¢ |
| 2 | California | 11.6¢ | 33.6¢ |
| 3 | Maine* | 12.9¢ | 32.4¢ |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 12.6¢ | 30.5¢ |
| 5 | New York | 13.5¢ | 29.9¢ |
| 6 | Rhode Island | 12.7¢ | 28.3¢ |
| 7 | New Hampshire* | 13.1¢ | 26.6¢ |
| 8 | District of Columbia* | 12.4¢ | 25.2¢ |
| 9 | New Jersey* | 12.5¢ | 25.2¢ |
| 10 | Connecticut | 12.5¢ | 24.2¢ |
| 11 | Alaska* | 18.2¢ | 28.8¢ |
| 12 | Vermont* | 13.9¢ | 23.8¢ |
| 13 | Michigan* | 13.3¢ | 23.1¢ |
| 14 | Pennsylvania* | 12.6¢ | 21.7¢ |
| 15 | Maryland* | 12.4¢ | 21.4¢ |
| 16 | Delaware | 10.6¢ | 18.5¢ |
| 17 | New Mexico* | 9.2¢ | 16.1¢ |
| 18 | Ohio* | 13.0¢ | 19.4¢ |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 12.6¢ | 19.1¢ |
| 20 | Colorado* | 10.6¢ | 17.0¢ |
| 21 | Illinois* | 12.8¢ | 19.2¢ |
| 22 | Arizona | 9.1¢ | 15.4¢ |
| 23 | Virginia* | 11.6¢ | 17.6¢ |
| 24 | Texas | 10.6¢ | 15.9¢ |
| 25 | Georgia* | 11.3¢ | 16.3¢ |
| 26 | South Carolina* | 11.0¢ | 15.5¢ |
| 27 | Minnesota* | 13.0¢ | 17.4¢ |
| 28 | Alabama* | 12.1¢ | 16.4¢ |
| 29 | Kansas* | 11.0¢ | 15.3¢ |
| 30 | Missouri* | 11.9¢ | 16.1¢ |
| 31 | Indiana* | 12.7¢ | 16.7¢ |
| 32 | Iowa* | 12.1¢ | 16.0¢ |
| 33 | Wyoming* | 10.6¢ | 14.4¢ |
| 34 | Oklahoma* | 10.7¢ | 14.3¢ |
| 35 | North Carolina* | 11.6¢ | 15.2¢ |
| 36 | Nevada* | 9.4¢ | 12.8¢ |
| 37 | South Dakota* | 12.1¢ | 15.4¢ |
| 38 | Mississippi* | 11.5¢ | 14.5¢ |
| 39 | Florida | 12.1¢ | 15.0¢ |
| 40 | Arkansas* | 11.7¢ | 14.3¢ |
| 41 | Montana* | 12.5¢ | 15.0¢ |
| 42 | West Virginia* | 13.3¢ | 15.8¢ |
| 43 | Idaho* | 11.4¢ | 13.7¢ |
| 44 | Nebraska* | 11.9¢ | 13.8¢ |
| 45 | Utah* | 11.2¢ | 13.1¢ |
| 46 | Louisiana* | 11.3¢ | 12.7¢ |
| 47 | Kentucky* | 12.5¢ | 13.8¢ |
| 48 | Tennessee* | 12.4¢ | 13.7¢ |
| 49 | Oregon | 15.4¢ | 16.0¢ |
| 50 | North Dakota* | 13.4¢ | 13.4¢ |
| 51 | Washington* | 14.7¢ | 14.7¢ |
* Priced at the national median. Solar per kWh is the system's price divided by everything it produces over 25 years (a simple levelised cost, no financing). Utility per kWh is the EIA's July 2026 residential average. Sorted by how far solar undercuts the utility today. Only 11 states have enough reported installations for Berkeley Lab to publish a local price, so the rest are priced at the national median of $3.75 a watt and marked with an asterisk. Their position reflects sunshine and power prices, not a measured local price. Full method on the methodology page.
Questions
Is solar electricity cheaper than buying from the utility?
In 49 of the 50 states and DC, yes: an 8 kW system's price spread over its 25-year output comes to less per kWh than the EIA's July 2026 residential average there. The largest advantage is in Hawaii, where solar works out at 9.9¢ against 48.0¢ from the grid.
What does solar electricity cost per kWh?
Spread over 25 years of output, an 8 kW system costs 9.1 to 18.2 cents per kWh depending on state, before financing. That figure falls the sunnier the state and rises with the installed price.
Three competing quotes beat any amount of comparing panel brands
Sales cost and margin are over a third of an installed price, and they are the part that competition removes. A single quote from whoever reached you first is how people end up in the top quarter of what their neighbours paid.
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