What a South Charleston home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at the typical market value, $155,400; your assessed value is often lower. Typical use.
- Property tax$1,170
0.753% of $155,400
- Electricity and gas$3,019
1027 kWh a month $2,249 · 31 therms $770
- Water and sewer$2,825
7,000 gallons a month on West Virginia American Water: water $161, sewer $74 a month
- Trash$160
Municipal service fee incl. garbage collection, $13 a month
- Home insuranceNot included
We don't have a typical premium for this city yet. Add yours with Adjust.
A South Charleston house at the typical market value ($155,400) costs about $7,200 a year: $1,170 property tax and charges, $2,820 water and sewer, $160 trash, $3,020 electricity and gas; home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 29, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Who serves this house
- Water
- West Virginia American Water
- Minimum charge covers the first 1,500 gallons for a 3/4 inch meter; the DSIC surcharge (about $2 a month) appears as a separate bill line.
- Property tax
- 0.75% of value
- 2025-26 county and schools; city levy not found
- Garbage
- City of South Charleston
- Collection paid through the municipal service fee
- Sewer
- South Charleston Sanitary Board
- Billed on metered water use
- Electricity
- Appalachian Power
- Rates approved by the Public Service Commission of West Virginia
- Gas
- Mountaineer Gas Company
- Residential Service (Schedule RS)
Other WV cities
How these numbers are made
- Individual bills are not public, so we calculate yours from public rates and what you tell us.
- Property tax: Kanawha County Class II levies in cents per $100 of assessed value, multiplied by 0.6 to apply to market value; the City of South Charleston levy is NOT included because its rate was not found.
- Municipal service fee: $160.00 a year in advance, divided by 12.
- Sewer: $20.74 minimum, then $11.30 per 1,000 gallons, derived from the Sanitary Board's $20.74 minimum and $36.56 average bill at 3,400 gallons; the 2,000-gallon minimum allowance is from the Sewer Rate Ordinance table.
- Electric fixed and per-kWh figures are derived from the two Appalachian Power bill examples; gas per therm uses 1 Mcf = 10.37 therms.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
How South Charleston compares
A typical South Charleston house against the 1000 cities we cover nationwide, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | South Charleston | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 0.75% | 1.36% | lower than 929 of the other 982 cities we cover nationwide |
| Water | $1,934 | $681 | higher than 994 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $891 | $692 | higher than 647 of the other 882 cities we cover nationwide |
| Trash | $160 | $336 | lower than 738 of the other 819 cities we cover nationwide |
| Electricity and gas | $3,019 | $2,439 | higher than 703 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
| Total | $7,174 | $10,827 | lower than 877 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Property tax rate
The fact: South Charleston's property tax rate is 0.75%, lower than 929 of the other 982 cities we cover nationwide. The rate adds up every agency on the bill, not only the city.
Ask: "Property tax in South Charleston is 0.75%, lower than 929 of the other 982 cities we cover nationwide. What should that money pay for first, and would you change anything about how it is set?"
2. Water
The fact: Water here costs about $1,934 a year at typical use, higher than 994 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide.
Ask: "Water here costs about $1,934 a year at typical use, higher than 994 of the other 999 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
3. Trash
The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $160 a year for the standard cart, lower than 738 of the other 819 cities we cover nationwide. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.
Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $160 a year for the standard cart, lower than 738 of the other 819 cities we cover nationwide. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"
Common questions about South Charleston house costs
What is the property tax rate in South Charleston?
About 0.75% of the value before exemptions a year (2025-26 county and schools; city levy not found), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in South Charleston?
About $3,764 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in South Charleston?
About $235 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on West Virginia American Water.
How much does trash pickup cost in South Charleston?
$13 a month for a house.
How much does a house in South Charleston cost to run each year?
A South Charleston house at the typical market value ($155,400) costs about $7,200 a year: $1,170 property tax and charges, $2,820 water and sewer, $160 trash, $3,020 electricity and gas; home insurance is not included (no typical premium yet). Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.