💻 Computers & Office
How Much Does a Phone Charger Cost to Run?
At the current U.S. average rate of 18.4¢/kWh (May 2026), a phone charger costs about $0.10 per month at typical usage — 3 hours/day.
Per hour
0.1¢
at 4–20 W
Per day
0.3¢
3 hours/day
Per month
$0.10
0.5 kWh
Per year
$1.21
6.6 kWh
Charging a smartphone every night uses roughly 5–10 kWh per year — about a dollar or two annually in most states. The charger left plugged in without a phone draws almost nothing on modern hardware.
Calculate it for your home
Per hour
0.1¢
Per day
0.3¢
Per month
$0.10
Per year
$1.21
Uses 0.5 kWh/month at 18.4¢ 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 12.4 | 0.1¢ | 6.8¢ | $0.81 |
| Utah | 13.0 | 0.1¢ | 7.1¢ | $0.85 |
| Oklahoma | 13.4 | 0.1¢ | 7.3¢ | $0.88 |
| Nebraska | 13.6 | 0.1¢ | 7.4¢ | $0.89 |
| Nevada | 13.6 | 0.1¢ | 7.4¢ | $0.89 |
| North Dakota | 13.6 | 0.1¢ | 7.4¢ | $0.89 |
| Missouri | 13.7 | 0.1¢ | 7.5¢ | $0.90 |
| Iowa | 14.1 | 0.1¢ | 7.7¢ | $0.93 |
| New Mexico | 14.1 | 0.1¢ | 7.7¢ | $0.93 |
| Louisiana | 14.2 | 0.1¢ | 7.8¢ | $0.93 |
| Arkansas | 14.4 | 0.1¢ | 7.9¢ | $0.95 |
| Tennessee | 14.5 | 0.1¢ | 7.9¢ | $0.95 |
| Montana | 14.7 | 0.1¢ | 8.0¢ | $0.97 |
| Wyoming | 14.8 | 0.1¢ | 8.1¢ | $0.97 |
| Kentucky | 15.0 | 0.1¢ | 8.2¢ | $0.99 |
| Washington | 15.0 | 0.1¢ | 8.2¢ | $0.99 |
| Kansas | 15.1 | 0.1¢ | 8.3¢ | $0.99 |
| North Carolina | 15.1 | 0.1¢ | 8.3¢ | $0.99 |
| Arizona | 15.2 | 0.1¢ | 8.3¢ | $1.00 |
| Florida | 15.2 | 0.1¢ | 8.3¢ | $1.00 |
| South Dakota | 15.7 | 0.1¢ | 8.6¢ | $1.03 |
| Georgia | 15.8 | 0.1¢ | 8.6¢ | $1.04 |
| Colorado | 16.2 | 0.1¢ | 8.9¢ | $1.06 |
| Mississippi | 16.2 | 0.1¢ | 8.9¢ | $1.06 |
| South Carolina | 16.2 | 0.1¢ | 8.9¢ | $1.06 |
| Oregon | 16.3 | 0.1¢ | 8.9¢ | $1.07 |
| Texas | 16.4 | 0.1¢ | 9.0¢ | $1.08 |
| Alabama | 16.8 | 0.1¢ | 9.2¢ | $1.10 |
| West Virginia | 16.8 | 0.1¢ | 9.2¢ | $1.10 |
| Minnesota | 17.0 | 0.1¢ | 9.3¢ | $1.12 |
| Virginia | 17.6 | 0.1¢ | $0.10 | $1.16 |
| Indiana | 18.2 | 0.1¢ | $0.10 | $1.20 |
| Delaware | 19.4 | 0.1¢ | $0.11 | $1.27 |
| Ohio | 19.5 | 0.1¢ | $0.11 | $1.28 |
| Wisconsin | 19.7 | 0.1¢ | $0.11 | $1.29 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.6 | 0.1¢ | $0.12 | $1.42 |
| Maryland | 21.8 | 0.1¢ | $0.12 | $1.43 |
| Michigan | 22.0 | 0.1¢ | $0.12 | $1.45 |
| New Jersey | 23.3 | 0.1¢ | $0.13 | $1.53 |
| Illinois | 23.9 | 0.1¢ | $0.13 | $1.57 |
| Vermont | 24.9 | 0.1¢ | $0.14 | $1.64 |
| Washington, D.C. | 25.4 | 0.2¢ | $0.14 | $1.67 |
| New Hampshire | 27.3 | 0.2¢ | $0.15 | $1.79 |
| Connecticut | 27.4 | 0.2¢ | $0.15 | $1.80 |
| Alaska | 28.2 | 0.2¢ | $0.15 | $1.85 |
| Maine | 28.6 | 0.2¢ | $0.16 | $1.88 |
| Massachusetts | 28.8 | 0.2¢ | $0.16 | $1.89 |
| Rhode Island | 29.5 | 0.2¢ | $0.16 | $1.94 |
| New York | 29.9 | 0.2¢ | $0.16 | $1.96 |
| California | 33.3 | 0.2¢ | $0.18 | $2.19 |
| Hawaii | 52.0 | 0.3¢ | $0.28 | $3.42 |
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 phone charger use?
A typical phone charger draws about 6 watts in use. At 3 hours/day, that works out to roughly 0.0 kWh per day, or 0.5 kWh per month.
How much does it cost to run a phone charger for 1 hour?
At the current U.S. average residential rate of 18.4¢/kWh, one hour costs about 0.1¢. In Idaho (12.4¢/kWh) it's 0.1¢, while in Hawaii (52¢/kWh) it's 0.3¢.
How much does a phone charger cost to run per month?
With typical usage (3 hours/day), expect about $0.10 per month at the U.S. average rate — from 6.8¢ in Idaho up to $0.28 in Hawaii. Rates are as of May 2026.
Does a phone charger 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.