The average German household spent only 2.2 percent of its income on electricity in 2011, but comparisons are difficult – expenses on heat are subsumed here under the category of “residential, gas, and other fuels (28.3 percent).” Retail power rates have also risen since 2011, though only marginally faster than the inflation rate. Overall, it seems that Germans spend roughly the same share of their income on utility bills as Americans do, for instance.