If you are interested in a place, talk to a couple of the other renters and see if they will tell you what utilities average. You may find that the utilities will be much more than the couple hundred dollars difference between not included and included.
It is usually better to rent with utilities included, because the budgeting is much easier. Same amount every month with no fluctuation, but if the difference is more than a couple hundred dollars, I would definitely check into what utilities run at the pay your own. If there are no other tenants in the building, call the local utilities and they will tell you what bills ran last year.
