Average bi-monthly Sewer/Water/Garbage bill? (Seattle, Bellevue: apartment, condo, how much)

[Wedgetarian]

I'm paying between $250 and $300 monthly for sewer/water/garbage. I live with one other person in a 2300 sq.ft. house in Wedgwood, and we have the small round garbage bin. My bill this cycle breaks down to $78 for water, $118 for sewer and $58 for garbage (or "Solid Waste Service" on the bill). For the past two years, we have been doing laundry at a laundromat.

$125 per month or more for SWG seems high to me. Does this seem high to anyone else?

[Ruth4Truth]

Call the utility and ask. The sewer bill seems high. And regarding water, do you water a yard? Or do you pay $78/month just for daily showers and flushing? $300 total does seem extreme, considering you don't do laundry.

[Wedgetarian]

Thank you, Ruth4Truth. I'm actually a very conscious flusher too, so I will call SPU to see what they say.

Does anyone reading this have similar costs for a two-person home in Seattle?

[Prince Mongo]

We have a 1,420 sf townhouse in West Seattle with three adult residents. Our Seattle Public Utilities bill (water, sewer & garbage) averages out to around $165/month.

[lucy1965]

I'm in a 1200 sf apartment in Bellevue with my husband, and we're paying $121 a month.

[revelated]

Mine is certainly around 130-ish/month, for Sewer/Water/Garbage/Compost/Recycle. It's just me, in a 2600+ square foot home. And yes, Sewer seems to dominate that for some reason.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by revelated

Mine is certainly around 130-ish/month, for Sewer/Water/Garbage/Compost/Recycle. It's just me, in a 2600+ square foot home. And yes, Sewer seems to dominate that for some reason.

Sewer domintaes because the SPU charge for Sewage treatment is more than double what they charge for water. The cost of treating it before going back into Elliot Bay and protect the salmon is expensive. I agree that the amount seems excessive for such a small home/family. Most of those homes are more than 50 years old, and with old galvanized iron pipe may be developing leaks in the main lines from the meter to the house. Also, if the toilets are original, they could be faulty and should be inspected.

[kaonevar]

We're in a 1100 sq. ft. condo and ours is about $150 every two months for 2 adults + 3 cats.

[mkarch]

It's bit high. I'm not sure what the small round bin is as everywhere I've lived the 2 smallest sizes are both square. Perhaps you're paying a lot more for garbage than average and lower water consumption isn't balancing that out. For comparison, with a large thirsty garden and a laundry room even our summer bills are a few bucks cheaper than that - without green waste disposal and smallest garbage container.

I'd look into the leak possibility if the high part is water. Turn your main valve off for a day and check the meter. If it goes up with the main valve off you have a leak in the main line before the valve. If not... there could still be a leak in the post-valve plumbing. Test that by using no water for a day with the main valve open. Any old lawn sprinklers buried on the lot?

[shaxs]

Originally Posted by Prince Mongo

We have a 1,420 sf townhouse in West Seattle with three adult residents. Our Seattle Public Utilities bill (water, sewer & garbage) averages out to around $165/month.

Sorry to thread hijack....but what does your average electricity bill look like in a 2 bedroom townhouse? I have built a cash flow spreadsheet to get a better sense of how much we need to make to live in Seattle with our other responsibilities.