West
Electricity costs in California
Residential customers in California pay an average of 33.25¢ per kWh — 50th cheapest of the 51 states and territories we track, and +80.3% against the national average.
California at a glance
California is the country's second-most expensive state, and the reasons are mostly on the delivery side rather than the generation side: wildfire hardening, transmission undergrounding and renewable procurement mandates all recover through rates. Critically, time-of-use pricing is near-universal here, so when you run an appliance matters as much as how long. Coastal cooling demand is mild; inland valleys are not.
Rate trend
2025-06 to 2026-05 · cents per kWh · 33.59¢ → 33.25¢
What appliances cost to run in California
Ranked by annual cost at typical usage and California’s average rate. Click through for the full calculation and to enter your own usage.
| Appliance | Watts | kWh/yr | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Furnace | 15000W | 14,783 | $410 | $4,915 |
| EV Charger (Level 2) | 7200W | 7,884 | $219 | $2,621 |
| Central Air Conditioner | 3500W | 6,643 | $184 | $2,209 |
| Heat Pump | 2400W | 5,256 | $146 | $1,748 |
| Space Heater | 1500W | 4,380 | $121 | $1,456 |
| Pool Pump | 1500W | 4,380 | $121 | $1,456 |
| Hot Tub | 1500W | 3,285 | $91.09 | $1,092 |
| Garage Heater | 5000W | 3,285 | $91.09 | $1,092 |
| Tankless Water Heater | 18000W | 2,628 | $72.87 | $874 |
| Electric Baseboard Heater | 1250W | 2,555 | $70.85 | $850 |
| Electric Water Heater | 4000W | 1,971 | $54.66 | $655 |
| Window Air Conditioner | 900W | 1,840 | $51.01 | $612 |
| Dehumidifier | 500W | 1,314 | $36.44 | $437 |
| Electric Clothes Dryer | 3000W | 931 | $25.81 | $309 |
| Slow Cooker | 200W | 584 | $16.19 | $194 |
| Chest Freezer | 200W | 526 | $14.57 | $175 |
| Electric Oven | 2400W | 526 | $14.57 | $175 |
| Electric Stovetop | 2000W | 511 | $14.17 | $170 |
| Refrigerator | 150W | 460 | $12.75 | $153 |
| Desktop Computer | 200W | 409 | $11.34 | $136 |
| Electric Lawn Mower | 1200W | 329 | $9.11 | $109 |
| Well Pump | 750W | 274 | $7.59 | $91.02 |
| Box Fan | 75W | 219 | $6.07 | $72.82 |
| Dishwasher | 1200W | 219 | $6.07 | $72.82 |
| Air Fryer | 1500W | 219 | $6.07 | $72.82 |
| Microwave | 1100W | 201 | $5.57 | $66.75 |
| Television | 100W | 183 | $5.06 | $60.68 |
| Ceiling Fan | 60W | 175 | $4.86 | $58.25 |
| Coffee Maker | 900W | 164 | $4.55 | $54.61 |
| Gaming Console | 150W | 164 | $4.55 | $54.61 |
| Electric Pressure Cooker | 1000W | 146 | $4.05 | $48.55 |
| Toaster Oven | 1400W | 123 | $3.40 | $40.78 |
| Laptop | 60W | 123 | $3.40 | $40.78 |
| Computer Monitor | 35W | 102 | $2.83 | $33.98 |
| Clothes Iron | 1100W | 100 | $2.78 | $33.37 |
| WiFi Router | 10W | 88 | $2.43 | $29.13 |
| Sump Pump | 800W | 88 | $2.43 | $29.13 |
| Washing Machine | 500W | 73 | $2.02 | $24.27 |
| Phone Charger | 6W | 7 | $0.18 | $2.18 |
| Printer | 50W | 5 | $0.13 | $1.52 |
These use typical wattages and usage hours, at California’s state average rate. Your own utility tariff, any time-of-use pricing and fixed service charges will shift the real figure. See our methodology.