For a typical 1,000-mile month, home Level 2 charging costs about $35–$50. The same miles on public DC fast charging cost $130–$160. That is a $90–$120 monthly gap — roughly $1,100–$1,400 a year — and it is the single biggest number in the buy-an-EV-without-a-driveway decision.
The math
A thousand miles needs roughly 320 kWh. Home electricity in our coverage area runs $0.10–$0.17/kWh (Pacific Northwest hydro rates sit at the low end — Seattle City Light residential is around $0.11). Public DC fast charging runs $0.28–$0.49/kWh depending on network and membership.
| Charging pattern | 1,000 mi/month cost |
|---|---|
| Home Level 2 (PNW rates) | $35–$50 |
| Home Level 2 (Denver/Xcel rates) | $40–$55 |
| Public DC, cheapest network + membership (EVgo+) | $90–$105 |
| Public DC, typical mix | $130–$160 |
| Public Level 2 (host-set, varies) | $50–$110 |
Add the one-time reality on the home side: a Level 2 installation runs $500–$2,000 including the circuit. At a $100/month saving, it pays for itself in 6–20 months — and state and utility rebates in WA, OR, and CO frequently cover part of it.
When public-only still makes sense
The gap narrows if your mileage is low (500 miles a month halves every number above), if your workplace offers free or cheap Level 2 (the great equalizer — 40 hours parked weekly covers most commuting entirely), or if you can lean on public Level 2 at host-subsidized rates instead of DC fast. The strategies for renters and apartment dwellers — including which cities make it workable — are covered in our charging without a driveway guide.
What does not make sense is defaulting to daily DC fast charging at guest rates. That pattern costs more per mile than a 35 mpg gas car in most of the country, and frequent 10–100% fast charging is also the hardest use pattern on a battery. If daily public charging is unavoidable, the cheapest-network math plus a membership is the difference between $160 and $95 a month.