Ten metros, one honest example
Solar cost and payback by metro
Each metro page works the same honest example: an 8 kW system at the NREL 2024 residential benchmark of $3.25 per watt, a $180 monthly bill, and a metro production factor, so the differences you see come from sun and electricity prices, not from shifting assumptions. These are planning examples, not quotes; model your roof in PVWatts and test real quotes in the estimator.
- 8 kW at $3.25 per watt in every metro
- $180 example bill, stated on each page
- Before incentives; no federal credit assumed
How to read the spread
Production decides how much energy the same panels make; the electricity price decides what that energy is worth. A sunny metro with cheap power can pay back slower than a cloudier metro with expensive power, and every page here shows both numbers so you can see which one is driving the result. Start with your metro, then read its state page for the export rule that prices any surplus, and the net metering guide before trusting any installer's savings figure. Roof condition and mounting belong in the same conversation; the roof type pages cover that half of the quote.
Phoenix, Arizona
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 13,200 kWh in year one, simple payback near 12.3 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Los Angeles, California
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 11,600 kWh in year one, simple payback near 12.0 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
San Diego, California
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 12,000 kWh in year one, simple payback near 12.0 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Denver, Colorado
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 11,600 kWh in year one, simple payback near 14.0 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Tampa, Florida
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 10,800 kWh in year one, simple payback near 14.2 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Las Vegas, Nevada
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 13,600 kWh in year one, simple payback near 13.7 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Austin, Texas
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 11,200 kWh in year one, simple payback near 16.6 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Raleigh, North Carolina
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 10,400 kWh in year one, simple payback near 16.7 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Seattle, Washington
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 8,400 kWh in year one, simple payback near 25.8 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example
Boston, Massachusetts
8 kW at benchmark: $26,000 gross, about 9,600 kWh in year one, simple payback near 12.0 years before incentives on the stated bill.
See the worked example