💻 Computers & Office
How Much Does a Laptop Cost to Run?
At the current U.S. average rate of 18.3¢/kWh (July 2026), a laptop costs about $2.00 per month at typical usage — 6 hours/day.
Per hour
1.1¢
at 30–100 W
Per day
6.6¢
6 hours/day
Per month
$2.00
11 kWh
Per year
$24.05
131 kWh
Laptops are dramatically cheaper to run than desktops, averaging 30–60 watts in use. A full workday of laptop computing costs a few cents — for most people the monitor plugged into it uses a comparable amount.
Calculate it for your home
Per hour
1.1¢
Per day
6.6¢
Per month
$2.00
Per year
$24.05
Uses 11 kWh/month at 18.3¢ per kWh.
Cheapest and most expensive states
Monthly cost at typical usage, using each state's current average residential rate.
Cost in every state
| State | Rate (¢/kWh) | Per hour | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.7 | 0.8¢ | $1.39 | $16.69 |
| Nevada | 12.8 | 0.8¢ | $1.40 | $16.82 |
| Utah | 13.1 | 0.8¢ | $1.43 | $17.21 |
| North Dakota | 13.4 | 0.8¢ | $1.47 | $17.61 |
| Idaho | 13.7 | 0.8¢ | $1.50 | $18.00 |
| Tennessee | 13.7 | 0.8¢ | $1.50 | $18.00 |
| Kentucky | 13.8 | 0.8¢ | $1.51 | $18.13 |
| Nebraska | 13.8 | 0.8¢ | $1.51 | $18.13 |
| Arkansas | 14.3 | 0.9¢ | $1.56 | $18.79 |
| Oklahoma | 14.4 | 0.9¢ | $1.58 | $18.92 |
| Wyoming | 14.4 | 0.9¢ | $1.58 | $18.92 |
| Mississippi | 14.5 | 0.9¢ | $1.59 | $19.05 |
| Washington | 14.7 | 0.9¢ | $1.61 | $19.32 |
| Florida | 15.0 | 0.9¢ | $1.64 | $19.71 |
| Montana | 15.0 | 0.9¢ | $1.64 | $19.71 |
| North Carolina | 15.2 | 0.9¢ | $1.66 | $19.97 |
| Kansas | 15.3 | 0.9¢ | $1.67 | $20.10 |
| Arizona | 15.4 | 0.9¢ | $1.69 | $20.24 |
| South Dakota | 15.4 | 0.9¢ | $1.69 | $20.24 |
| South Carolina | 15.5 | 0.9¢ | $1.70 | $20.37 |
| West Virginia | 15.8 | 0.9¢ | $1.73 | $20.76 |
| Texas | 15.9 | 1.0¢ | $1.74 | $20.89 |
| Iowa | 16.0 | 1.0¢ | $1.75 | $21.02 |
| Oregon | 16.0 | 1.0¢ | $1.75 | $21.02 |
| Missouri | 16.1 | 1.0¢ | $1.76 | $21.16 |
| New Mexico | 16.1 | 1.0¢ | $1.76 | $21.16 |
| Georgia | 16.3 | 1.0¢ | $1.78 | $21.42 |
| Alabama | 16.4 | 1.0¢ | $1.79 | $21.55 |
| Indiana | 16.7 | 1.0¢ | $1.83 | $21.94 |
| Colorado | 17.0 | 1.0¢ | $1.86 | $22.34 |
| Minnesota | 17.5 | 1.0¢ | $1.92 | $23.00 |
| Virginia | 17.6 | 1.1¢ | $1.93 | $23.13 |
| Delaware | 18.5 | 1.1¢ | $2.02 | $24.31 |
| Wisconsin | 19.1 | 1.1¢ | $2.09 | $25.10 |
| Illinois | 19.2 | 1.2¢ | $2.10 | $25.23 |
| Ohio | 19.5 | 1.2¢ | $2.13 | $25.62 |
| Maryland | 21.4 | 1.3¢ | $2.34 | $28.12 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.7 | 1.3¢ | $2.37 | $28.51 |
| Michigan | 23.1 | 1.4¢ | $2.53 | $30.35 |
| Vermont | 23.8 | 1.4¢ | $2.60 | $31.27 |
| Connecticut | 24.2 | 1.5¢ | $2.65 | $31.80 |
| Washington, D.C. | 25.2 | 1.5¢ | $2.76 | $33.11 |
| New Jersey | 25.2 | 1.5¢ | $2.76 | $33.11 |
| New Hampshire | 26.6 | 1.6¢ | $2.91 | $34.95 |
| Rhode Island | 28.3 | 1.7¢ | $3.10 | $37.19 |
| Alaska | 28.8 | 1.7¢ | $3.15 | $37.84 |
| New York | 29.9 | 1.8¢ | $3.27 | $39.29 |
| Massachusetts | 30.5 | 1.8¢ | $3.34 | $40.08 |
| Maine | 32.4 | 1.9¢ | $3.55 | $42.57 |
| California | 33.6 | 2.0¢ | $3.68 | $44.15 |
| Hawaii | 48.0 | 2.9¢ | $5.25 | $63.07 |
How to lower the cost
- Enable sleep after 15–20 minutes of idle — modern machines wake in seconds.
- Anything always-on (servers, mining, chargers on strips) deserves a smart plug and a schedule.
- Laptops do the same office work as desktops on a quarter of the power.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a laptop use?
A typical laptop draws about 60 watts in use. At 6 hours/day, that works out to roughly 0.4 kWh per day, or 11 kWh per month.
How much does it cost to run a laptop for 1 hour?
At the current U.S. average residential rate of 18.3¢/kWh, one hour costs about 1.1¢. In Louisiana (12.7¢/kWh) it's 0.8¢, while in Hawaii (48¢/kWh) it's 2.9¢.
How much does a laptop cost to run per month?
With typical usage (6 hours/day), expect about $2.00 per month at the U.S. average rate — from $1.39 in Louisiana up to $5.25 in Hawaii. Rates are as of July 2026.
Does a laptop use a lot of electricity?
Not really — at typical usage it's under 1% of an average home's monthly consumption. Heating, cooling, hot water, and drying are the loads that move bills.