Short answer: Internet and utilities setup when you land in Miami — if you are moving to Miami, the surprise is how few accounts you actually open. In most condos and apartments you open only two: electricity with FPL and internet, because water, sewer and trash are master-metered by the building and already sit inside your rent or HOA. Budget from the official 2026 benchmarks: FPL’s typical 1,000-kWh residential bill is US$136.64 a month (Florida Public Service Commission settlement for 2026), a realistic apartment runs about US$110–150 a month for power, and home internet runs US$45–70 a month where you can choose. In a single-family house the math changes: add Miami-Dade water and sewer at about US$54–80 a month and summer power near US$205. That split — building pays vs. you pay — is the real cost of living in Miami line newcomers get wrong.
Updated: October 15, 2026.
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Moving to Miami: internet and utilities setup when you land, service by service
Work through this table before you sign, because the lease and the building — not the city — decide which rows are yours. Every price below is a verified 2026 figure or a SETTLE model built from one, and the source list at the end shows which is which.
| Service | Who you deal with | What it costs in 2026 | Who opens it in a condo/apartment | Who opens it in a house/duplex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | FPL (Florida Power & Light) | US$136.64 per 1,000 kWh benchmark; ~US$110 (small apartment) to ~US$205 (house, summer). US$25 service charge to open; deposit of ~2 months of expected use if your credit file triggers one | You | You |
| Water + sewer | Miami-Dade Water and Sewer (WASD) | ~US$54/month at 6 ccf (~4,488 gallons); ~US$80/month at 8 ccf, on the tariff in force since October 1, 2026 | Usually the building/landlord — master meter | Usually you or the owner — read the lease |
| Trash + recycling | Miami-Dade Solid Waste | US$702/year full-service fee, billed to the OWNER on the property tax bill | Building | Owner (embedded in rent) |
| Internet | AT&T Fiber or Xfinity — if the building lets you choose | 300 Mbps US$45–50/month; 1 Gig US$65–70/month | Sometimes nobody: bulk building deal, already in the HOA | You |
So the landing cash is smaller than most movers fear — and different from what they plan. A 1-bedroom condo tenant typically pays the US$25 FPL service charge, a possible FPL deposit of roughly US$220 (two months of an estimated US$110 bill) if a thin US credit file triggers one, and US$0–99 of internet installation: about US$25–345 to switch everything on, then US$155–220 a month running. A house tenant should plan on a larger FPL deposit (roughly US$410 against a US$205 summer bill) and US$304–355 a month for power, water and internet combined. And before any of it, get the move-in cash right — our guide to security deposits in Miami and how they really work covers the landlord side of the same first week.
What most people don’t know
1. Your FPL deposit is priced off the address, not off you alone. FPL’s own deposit page says the amount, when one is required, equals about two months of expected electric use at that service address, based on the property’s prior usage history — which is why two newcomers with identical credit can be quoted very different deposits for two different units. FPL runs a credit score to decide whether a deposit applies at all and can waive it for excellent credit; newcomers with no US file should simply budget for it. The deposit is not lost money: FPL’s tariff summary returns it after 23 months of service with the last 12 consecutive months in good standing.
2. The 1,000-kWh benchmark understates a Miami summer. The US Energy Information Administration puts Florida’s average residential use at about 1,103 kWh a month and the average Florida bill near US$168 — air conditioning is the difference. A shaded, newer apartment can live near 800 kWh; a west-facing house in August can pass 1,500 kWh without anyone wasting power. When you compare the best neighborhoods in Miami for your budget, ask for the unit’s actual summer bills, not the annual average the listing quotes.
3. In most buildings you never open a water account — and you should not try. Miami-Dade WASD bills multi-family buildings through a common meter, with charges applied per unit to the master account. If your condo or apartment tries to send you to WASD to open water in your name, something is off: that is a single-family and duplex pattern. Houses are the opposite trap — the lease, not custom, decides whether the WASD account sits in the tenant’s or the owner’s name, so get that sentence in writing before the start date, because a transfer gap can leave a new house account facing the previous occupant’s balance questions.
4. The building chooses your internet more often than you do. Many Brickell, Downtown and beach condos run on a bulk agreement: one wired provider for the whole building, sometimes with internet already bundled into the HOA fee you are paying through rent. Ordering AT&T Fiber because a coverage map says “Miami” does not put fiber in a riser the building has contracted to Xfinity. Before you sign, ask two questions — which provider is wired into this building, and is internet included in the HOA? Where you genuinely can choose, October 2026 public pricing puts AT&T Fiber 300 Mbps at US$50 a month and 1 Gig at US$65–70, with Xfinity cable at US$45 for 300 Mbps and US$70 for 1 Gig on its five-year price guarantee.
5. Seasonal residents play by the same utility rules — with a longer fuse. If your Miami landing is a winter base rather than a full move, the deposit and bulk-internet traps apply identically, and a dark, empty unit still draws power for humidity control — never fully disconnect FPL between seasons in this climate. Our Canadian snowbird guide to a winter in Miami covers the seasonal rental side; pair it with this setup order and browse the full library in our Miami relocation guides hub before you book installations.
Frequently asked questions
How much are utilities per month in Miami in 2026?
For a 1-bedroom condo or apartment, plan on US$155–220 a month for the two services you actually pay — electricity (about US$110–150, anchored to FPL’s official US$136.64 per 1,000-kWh benchmark for 2026) plus internet (US$45–70). Water, sewer and trash are normally inside rent or HOA in buildings. For a single-family house, plan on US$304–355 a month: summer-weighted power near US$205, Miami-Dade water and sewer of US$54–80 on the October 2026 tariff, and internet.
Can I open FPL service without a Social Security number or US credit history?
FPL decides deposits with a credit scoring system, and customers with no US file should expect the deposit route — about two months of expected use at the address (roughly US$220 for a typical apartment, US$410 for a house at summer usage), refundable after 23 months with the last 12 consecutive months paid on time. Open the account in the exact name on your lease, schedule the start for the lease start date, and keep the confirmation — landlords and buildings routinely ask for the FPL account number as proof the unit is live.
What order should I set services up in?
First, confirm in writing what the building or lease already covers (water, trash, internet). Second, schedule FPL to start on your lease start date. Third, book internet installation for arrival day or the day after, after confirming the building’s wired provider. Fourth — houses and duplexes only — transfer or open the WASD water account for the same start date. That order prevents the two classic landing failures: paying for internet a building already includes, and spending the first night with keys but no power account.
Why was my first electric bill so much higher than the quote?
Three usual reasons, all visible on the bill: the one-time US$25 service charge and any deposit land on the first statement; a partial first cycle that stretches past 30 days inflates the “monthly” figure; and a summer start means your first full month is priced at August consumption, not the annual average. Read the kWh line before you panic — at the 2026 benchmark of US$136.64 per 1,000 kWh, a US$205 bill is simply a 1,500-kWh month, which is normal for a house in August.
Yara Coker — SETTLE, relocation services in Miami.
Want help with your move to Miami?
Send us the building or the lease before you sign — we will tell you exactly which utilities are yours to open, what the FPL deposit is likely to be at that address, whether the building locks your internet, and what your real monthly utilities will run. That check takes minutes before signing and saves the most common first-week surprises.
Sources
Florida Public Service Commission / Florida Power & Light, four-year rate settlement approved for 2026–2029: typical 1,000-kWh residential bill in the traditional FPL territory US$136.64 in 2026 (from US$134.14). FPL official deposit guidance: a deposit, when required by its credit scoring, equals about two months of expected electric use at the service address, based on the property’s prior usage history, and may be waived for excellent credit; FPL tariff summary: US$25 service charge to open or transfer service, deposit returned after 23 months of service with the last 12 consecutive months of good payment history. US Energy Information Administration state data: Florida residential customers average about 1,103 kWh a month and about US$168 a month. Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department, Schedule of Rates effective October 1, 2026: residential 5/8-inch meter — water US$5.36 a month including the first 3 ccf, sewer base US$9.13 including the first 3 ccf, water US$4.3455 per ccf for 4–17 ccf, sewer US$8.6573 per ccf from 4 ccf (1 ccf = 748 gallons); Miami-Dade’s approved 6% retail adjustment for fiscal 2026-27 estimated at about US$3.77 a month for a typical residential customer. Miami-Dade Solid Waste: typical full-service residential fee held at US$702 a year for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026, billed as a non-ad valorem assessment on the owner’s property tax bill. Internet pricing, public offers checked October 15, 2026 (Allconnect and CableTV plan listings): AT&T Fiber 300 Mbps US$50 a month, 500 Mbps US$60–65, 1 Gig US$65–70 after autopay/paperless discounts, installation up to US$99 may apply; Xfinity 300 Mbps US$45, 500 Mbps US$60, 1 Gig US$70 on five-year price-guarantee offers, no contract. Per-home monthly totals are SETTLE models built proportionally from the FPL benchmark and the WASD tariff; your building, exposure and usage will move them.
Versión en español: Vivir en Miami: Internet y servicios públicos al llegar a Miami
