Average bills in a house share, per person

• ✓Energy: £1,723 a year on Ofgem's current typical-use measure, for a home using gas and electricity and paying by Direct Debit, if the 1 October to 31 December 2026 level lasted a year. On the like-for-like basis Taupia leads with, the same cap is £1,935.
• ✓Water: £639 a year, the average water and sewerage bill in England and Wales for 2026/27, from Water UK figures published on Discover Water.
• ✓Broadband: £31.64 a month, Ofcom's average promoted price for a superfast broadband and landline bundle in September 2025, in September 2025 prices. Ofcom found broadband without a landline averaged £7.00 a month less.
• ✓TV Licence: £180 a year, the GOV.UK fee. GOV.UK says one licence covers a home on a joint tenancy agreement.
• ✓Council tax: £0 for a household where everyone is a full-time student, which GOV.UK says does not have to pay. Otherwise £2,392, England's average Band D for 2026/27 in MHCLG's statistics.

Sources: Ofgem: October 2026 price cap announcement (read 13 October 2026); Discover Water: average annual bill 2026/27 (Water UK figures) (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: Pricing and consumer engagement 2025 report (PDF), figure 24 (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: TV Licence (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: Council Tax discounts for full-time students (read 13 October 2026); MHCLG: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓One typical household's bills, divided by the number of sharers. Usage does not rise with headcount here, and a bigger house may use more energy and water, so treat the four and five sharer figures as a starting point.
• ✓Energy is Ofgem's yearly figure at one quarter's cap level. Ofgem sets the cap every 3 months, so a real year mixes four levels.
• ✓Water is an average across England and Wales. In Scotland, water is collected with council tax and full-time students are exempt from unmetered charges, and households in Northern Ireland get no water bill.
• ✓Broadband is one superfast connection for the house at a new-customer price. Ofcom's figures exclude the effect of any annual price rises.
• ✓Council tax uses England's average Band D. Your band and your council set the real figure, and the statistics cover England only.
• ✓Monthly figures are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by the number of sharers, rounded to the penny. Totals are divided before rounding, so they can differ from the sum of the rows by a penny.
• ✓Mobile phones are left out because they are personal contracts.

Sources: Ofgem: energy price cap (read 13 October 2026); Scottish Water: your charges 2026 to 2027 (read 13 October 2026); NI Water: 2026/27 charges announcement (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: Pricing and consumer engagement 2025 report (PDF), figure 24 (read 13 October 2026); MHCLG: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓GOV.UK says a household where everyone is a full-time student does not have to pay council tax, and that you need to apply for a discount or exemption even if you are disregarded.
• ✓If someone in the house is not a full-time student, GOV.UK says the household gets a bill but might still qualify for a discount. You get 25% off if everyone else in the home is disregarded.
• ✓At England's average Band D of £2,392, a full bill adds £99.67 each a month between two, £66.44 between three, £49.83 between four and £39.87 between five.
• ✓Citizens Advice says a single non-student living with students will probably be liable for 75% of the bill. At England's average Band D, that is £1,794 a year. How the house shares it is for you to agree.

Sources: GOV.UK: Council Tax discounts for full-time students (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: who has to pay Council Tax (read 13 October 2026); Citizens Advice: council tax and student housing (read 13 October 2026); MHCLG: Council Tax levels set by local authorities in England 2026 to 2027 (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Take the bills a package or an inclusive rent actually covers, add up those rows from the table, and compare per person per month.
• ✓For four sharers, energy, water and broadband from the table come to £57.12 each a month, before the TV Licence.
• ✓A package fixes the price and takes the admin. Paying suppliers direct keeps your own accounts, and Citizens Advice says tenants who pay the supplier directly can switch supplier or tariff.
• ✓Which costs less depends on your usage, your headcount and the price you are actually quoted.

Sources: Citizens Advice: switching energy supplier if you're a tenant (read 13 October 2026)

• ✓Check the energy tariff. Citizens Advice says that when you move in, you are automatically put on a deemed contract for the supplier's default or standard variable tariff, so ask what the house is on and compare.
• ✓Ofcom found broadband without a landline averaged £7.00 a month less than a bundle with one in September 2025, and that 70% of households buying both made no outgoing landline call from April to June 2025.
• ✓Apply for any council tax exemption or discount the household is entitled to. GOV.UK says you need to apply, even if you are disregarded.
• ✓Check whether a water meter suits the house. CCW says companies fit them for free and, outside compulsory metering areas, you can switch back within two years.

Sources: Citizens Advice: moving home and your energy supply (read 13 October 2026); Ofcom: Pricing and consumer engagement 2025 report (PDF), figure 24 (read 13 October 2026); GOV.UK: who has to pay Council Tax (read 13 October 2026); CCW: should I get a water meter fitted? (read 13 October 2026)