Electricity Rates in Illinois: Cost per kWh and What Appliances Cost
Illinois households pay 23.85 cents per kilowatt-hour on average, which is 29.3 percent above the national figure. That single number decides what every appliance in the house costs to run, so this page works it through for all of them.
The average residential rate in Illinois is 23.85¢ per kWh, ranking 40 of 51 from cheapest to most expensive, in the middle of the national range. Commercial customers pay 15.36¢. The average monthly household bill is $131.
Calculate any appliance at Illinois rates
Change any box. The result updates as you type.
W
hours
USD/kWh
Cost per month
—
—
Per hour
—
Per day
—
Per year
—
kWh per day
—
Planning estimate. The rate box is prefilled with a regional average; the figure on your own bill is the one that matters. Power is draw while running, not while switched on.
How Illinois compares
Residential rate
23.85¢/kWh
US average
18.44¢/kWh
Difference
+29.3%
Rank, cheapest to dearest
40 of 51
Midwest regional average
16.55¢/kWh
Commercial rate
15.36¢/kWh
Average monthly bill
$131
Retail choice
Deregulated: you can shop for a supplier
You can change your supply rate in Illinois
Illinois has a competitive retail market, which means the 23.85 cent average above is a blend of people on the default utility rate and people on shopped plans. If you have never switched, you are probably on the default, which is usually the more expensive of the two.
The delivery portion of your bill does not change when you switch, and neither does who fixes the line when it goes down. Only the generation charge moves. Look at your bill for the supply rate in cents per kWh and compare that figure, not the total.
What every appliance costs to run in Illinois
All figures below are computed at the Illinois rate of 23.85 cents. The last column shows the annual difference against the same appliance at the national average, which is where the effect of living here actually shows up.
At 23.85 cents, Illinois sits close enough to the national average that solar payback here tends to track the national picture. The variables that decide it are local: net metering terms, state incentives, roof orientation and shading.
Typical peak sun hours across the Midwest region run around 3.5 to 4.5 hours a day as an annual average, though the spread within a region can be wide. For a figure based on your actual location rather than a regional band, use the location-based solar production calculator, and the solar payback calculator for the financial side.
Questions people actually ask
What is the average electricity rate in Illinois?
23.85 cents per kilowatt-hour for residential customers, which is 29.3 percent above the US average of 18.44 cents.
What is the average electric bill in Illinois?
About $131 a month. That reflects both the rate and how much electricity households here typically use, which is driven mostly by climate and heating fuel.
Can I choose my electricity provider in Illinois?
Yes. Illinois has a deregulated retail market, so you can shop for a supplier. Your utility still delivers the power and handles outages.
Why is my electricity bill higher than the Illinois average?
The state average blends every household, including small apartments. Electric heating, electric water heating, a pool pump, an older refrigerator or an EV will each push a bill well above it. The appliance table above shows what each of those costs at the Illinois rate.
Costs on this page use a national average residential rate of 18.44¢ per kWh (August 2026, EIA-derived state residential averages). Your own rate is printed on your electricity bill and is the number that actually matters. Every figure here is recalculated from one central rate setting, so these tables move when the national average moves.
