Keeping your grass green through irrigation can cost a lot of green. But it can set you back even more, depending on the price you pay for water and the climate in your region.
So, where in America is lawn irrigation the biggest drain on consumers’ wallets?
Ahead of World Water Day on March 22, Lawn Love ranked 2022’s Most Expensive Cities for Lawn Irrigation.
In each of the 50 major U.S. cities in our ranking, we compared the average water bill against the typical yard size to measure residents’ average monthly utility expense on outdoor water use. They range from $0.65 to $9.49 per 1,000 square feet of lawn.
We also considered various factors that affect the cost of landscape irrigation, such as the types of grass that grow in each city, the region’s proneness to drought, and the legality of harvesting rainwater in the state.
Key insights:
- Super Soakers: California and Texas stand out in our ranking — for the wrong reasons. Texas cities ended up in the top 50% due to their sprawling (aka water-intensive) yards. California cities also dominated the top 10 because they bombed the financials metrics. Both states share the top positions in Cost Determinants, made up mostly of climate factors.
- East vs. West: Plotting our five most expensive and five cheapest cities on a map reveals a clear division between East and West (and North versus South). All of our cheapest cities lie east of the Missouri River and in the northern half of the U.S. The most expensive are west of the river and near the border with Mexico.Familiarity with regional climates (and climate trends) leaks the reasons for these patterns: The West is currently grappling with its worst drought in over 1,200 years, whereas colder climates make it difficult to keep grass green in winter.
- Dollars and No Sense: From a purely dollar perspective, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington — in that order — are the least affordable cities for lawn irrigation despite having some of the smallest average yards in our ranking.Why? They’re among the 10 most expensive cities in which to live — period. Everything, including utilities, costs a pretty penny in these parts, so it’s no surprise that they fared worst in the Cost category.
- Water Relief: Chicagoans can rest easy knowing every drop of water that falls on their lawn goes a long way. The Windy City came in last in our ranking — in other words, residents here get the most bang for their buck.The cost of water is relatively cheap in Chicago. More importantly, most of the grass types that would thrive in this city — cold-season grasses like fine and tall fescues and perennial ryegrasses — all require minimal H2O.
Our full ranking and analysis can be found here:
https://lawnlove.com/blog/most-expensive-cities-lawn-irrigation/