Have you ever considered how much your utility bill could change after you move? Every area charges different rates depending on the companies available to residents, and it can take your budget by surprise if it’s not fully prepared for a slight increase. Whether you’re choosing to move locally or want to make the big leap to the mainland, take advantage of the experience found at M. Dyer & Sons. Located in Pearl City, HI, and recognized as one of the top moving companies in Honolulu, these professional movers will be happy to provide the insight you need to formulate a plan for your budget.

According to UtilityScore, the average homeowner spends approximately $226 each month on their utility bill. This equates to about $1.68 per square foot. Now this might not seem like too much to handle at the moment, but you’ll soon discover the differences once you factor in the monthly mortgage payments and housing prices.

Since each region varies drastically when it comes to real estate, it’s important to talk with your local moving company about utility costs. To give you an idea of the differences in costs, here are three locations on the mainland and what they charge for utilities and mortgages:

• Miami, FL: Residents of this tropical state can expect to pay about $157.17 each month for their utilities. With house prices coming at about $297,913 and monthly mortgage payments evening out to $1,535.04, the utility bill only makes up 9.3% of the total costs.
• Oakland, CA: This sunny state charges approximately $276 for utilities each month. Since the average housing prices are at $692,172 and mortgage payments appear at around $3,842.52 per month, homeowners will enjoy having utilities only make up about 7.2% of the entire cost.
• Syracuse, NY: Heading up north has its perks, as the utility bills in this region are at about $216.75 per month. But, with home prices evening out to roughly $120,291 and monthly mortgages to about $619.82, the utility bill ends up taking up about 25.9% of the total costs- significantly higher than in the other regions.

As you can see, there are some locations where the utility bill makes up a larger percentage of the total costs of homeownership—but that’s not always a bad thing since lower mortgage payments could be just the thing you’re looking for. If you’re looking for efficient moving services or more insight for planning ahead, don’t hesitate to talk with M. Dyer & Sons. You can reach them at (808) 456-4200. For more information about this local moving company, visit their website or Facebook page.