What Is the Average SDG&E Bill for a Two-Bedroom Apartment?

SDG&E does not publish an average bill by apartment size, so here is the arithmetic. A two-bedroom apartment using 470 to 663 kWh a month would pay about $225 to $331 for electricity at SDG&E's August 1, 2026 prices on its tiered DR plan, before taxes. Where you land depends on your climate zone, the season and, on time-of-use plans, the hour.

If your bill jumped and you are not sure why, start with what to check on a high California bill.

The usage range comes from federal survey data for Western homes; the prices and baseline allowances come from SDG&E's own rate tables and calculator, checked September 23, 2026. It is our calculation, not an SDG&E estimate, and it covers electricity only. For why San Diego bills run high in general, see why an SDG&E bill is so high.

How much electricity a two-bedroom apartment uses

No utility or agency publishes usage by bedroom count. The closest data is the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey for the West census region, which includes California. It reports yearly use by type and size of home:

A larger apartment with two or three people, a dishwasher, in-unit laundry or electric heat will sit toward the top of that range. A small unit in a big building with gas cooking will sit toward the bottom. Your own figure is on the bill as total kWh for the billing period; divide it by the billing days to compare months.

What that usage costs on SDG&E

SDG&E's simplest plan to price is DR, its optional non-time-of-use schedule. From August 1, 2026 it charges 41.299 cents per kWh for use up to 130% of your baseline allowance and 52.000 cents for everything above, plus a daily Base Services Charge of $0.79343. The baseline allowance depends on your climate zone and season; for a home with gas and electric service, SDG&E's calculator gives 9.0 kWh a day on the coast and 10.4 inland in summer, which works out to 351 and about 406 kWh at the lower price on a 30-day bill.

The climate-zone gap is small at these usage levels, about $6 a month, because DR's two prices are close. The bigger driver is usage: each extra 100 kWh above the allowance adds $52.

On TOU-DR1, the hour matters more than the amount

Most SDG&E households are on TOU-DR1, which SDG&E calls its standard residential schedule. From August 1, 2026 it charges 69.135 cents per kWh on-peak (4 to 9 p.m. every day), 46.421 cents off-peak and 37.433 cents super off-peak in summer, and 61.471, 53.060 and 43.719 cents in winter. Use up to 130% of baseline earns a 10.702-cent credit. Super off-peak is midnight to 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays, and midnight to 2 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

That spread means two apartments with the same monthly kWh can get quite different bills. Moving 100 kWh a month from on-peak to super off-peak is worth $31.70 in summer and $17.75 in winter at these prices. An apartment where most use happens after work, cooking, TV and laundry between 4 and 9 p.m., can pay more on TOU-DR1 than the DR figures above; one that runs laundry and the dishwasher late at night or on weekend mornings can pay less. The SDG&E time-of-use guide lists every plan's hours and prices.

Why SDG&E apartment bills run higher than elsewhere

The price per kWh is the main reason. The CPUC Public Advocates Office puts SDG&E's residential average at 45.5 cents per kWh in June 2026, against 34.4 cents at SCE and 33.7 cents at PG&E. SMUD's comparison of a 750 kWh month as of June 1, 2026 shows $322 at SDG&E, the highest of the utilities it lists. For comparison, the average California home used 503 kWh a month in 2024, per EIA. The flat Base Services Charge, about $23.80 on a 30-day bill, also weighs more on a small bill than a large one. Our PG&E one-bedroom estimate shows the same exercise in Northern California.

If a community choice provider serves your building

Two community choice aggregators operate in SDG&E's territory, San Diego Community Power and Clean Energy Alliance, according to the CPUC's list. If you are enrolled in one, it sets the generation price and SDG&E bills delivery, so the totals above do not apply exactly. The CPUC rate comparison shows the combined rate for your ZIP code, and how to read an SDG&E bill shows where each part appears.

What a renter can do about it

Check whether your household qualifies for CARE or FERA, which cut the bill and the Base Services Charge; the CPUC sets the income limits. Compare DR with TOU-DR1 against your own hourly usage in your SDG&E account, since the cheaper plan depends on your schedule. And move flexible loads such as laundry, dishwashing and EV charging into super off-peak hours. If the building owner is considering solar or you are buying a home, the numbers above are the baseline any proposal should beat.