Average Utility Bills

charlottecooper

Hey i was just wondering how much utility bills would be for a 1/2bed flat for 2 people. Iv budgeted £500 for bills and food, not including rent. Does that sound reasonable ?

Thanks

Rikki

Have you remembered council tax?
Water rates?
Is the heating gas or electric?

The average monthly amount needed towards gas and electric is £108. (£1200 a year)

charlottecooper

Yeah, iv just averaged everything as i dont have a place yet but iv been reading through some other posts and came to the conclusion that £500 should cover, electric, gas, water, tax and shopping does that sound ok ?

charlottecooper

And hopefully it will cover the home and contents insurance.

princeofpounds

Tv license too...

If you are talking monthly (are you?)

council 100
elec and gas 100
mobiles for 2 70
water 35
TV 10
Fixed line & Tv package - ? assuming none...

rates are all very approximate and will depend on where and how you live.

Leaves you 185 for food or 46/week for two people!

I think this is too low, do not forget non-food consumables as well as food.

charlottecooper

oh yeah tv license too.

were not going to bother with the phone line just mobiles

yeah i was talking monthly,

so realisticly we are looking at about the £600 mark?

birduk

It sounds more than enough to me. We put £800 a month in the bills account and £500 of that is for rent. We have a months buffer as well just in case.

The council tax you can budget about £100, Water £20, Electric £50, Gas £50, TV £20, Insurance (cat and contents) £40, plus other emergencies and things I haven't put down here.

Good luck!

birduk

Oh sorry, we don't budget for food in that (2 of us 2 bed place so similar to you), but we spend maybe £80 a week. Your budget sounds fine to me. Don't forget it is all dependent on what you like to eat, how you shop, how you use your electric.

retepetsir

My partner and I are living in our first rental accomodation (since last September), a 2-bedroom flat with just the 2 of us there. We set our monthly DD's as £30 for gas and £30 for electric, but after the winter bill we may have to up the gas slightly, to say £40 in order to build up enough credit for next winter.

I'd say £60-£80 is reasonable for gas/electric in a 2-bedroom place.

Rikki

charlottecooper wrote: »

oh yeah tv license too.

were not going to bother with the phone line just mobiles

yeah i was talking monthly,

so realisticly we are looking at about the £600 mark?

How about the internet? Monthly cost.

Will you need a telephone line or will it be cable?

charlottecooper

we probably wont bother for the first couple of months until weve budgeted and when we do well get a laptop and one of the pay as you go things