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How much does it cost to run a 3D printer?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a 3D printer costs about $11.86 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 1.3¢
- Per day of use
- 7.9¢
- Per month
- 98.9¢
- Per year
- $11.86
Assumption: 120 W at a 60% duty cycle, 6 hours a day, 150 days a year — 65 kWh a year. A consumer FDM printer mid-print. The heated bed dominates the draw, and an enclosure lowers the duty cycle by holding heat in.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | 68.7¢ | $8.24 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | 69.0¢ | $8.27 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | 70.8¢ | $8.50 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | 72.4¢ | $8.69 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | 74.0¢ | $8.88 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | 74.1¢ | $8.90 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | 74.4¢ | $8.93 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | 74.6¢ | $8.95 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | 77.4¢ | $9.29 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | 77.5¢ | $9.30 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | 77.5¢ | $9.31 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | 78.5¢ | $9.42 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | 79.4¢ | $9.53 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | 80.9¢ | $9.71 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | 81.2¢ | $9.74 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | 81.9¢ | $9.82 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | 82.5¢ | $9.89 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | 83.0¢ | $9.96 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | 83.1¢ | $9.97 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | 83.5¢ | $10.02 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | 85.2¢ | $10.23 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | 85.8¢ | $10.29 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | 86.2¢ | $10.35 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | 86.3¢ | $10.36 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | 86.9¢ | $10.43 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | 86.9¢ | $10.43 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | 87.9¢ | $10.54 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | 88.6¢ | $10.63 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | 90.3¢ | $10.84 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | 91.8¢ | $11.02 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | 94.2¢ | $11.31 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | 94.8¢ | $11.37 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | 99.8¢ | $11.98 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | $1.03 | $12.35 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | $1.04 | $12.45 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | $1.05 | $12.60 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $1.16 | $13.87 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $1.17 | $14.07 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $1.24 | $14.94 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $1.28 | $15.39 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $1.30 | $15.66 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $1.36 | $16.32 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $1.36 | $16.34 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $1.44 | $17.24 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $1.53 | $18.33 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $1.56 | $18.68 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $1.61 | $19.38 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $1.65 | $19.76 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $1.75 | $21.00 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $1.81 | $21.78 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $2.59 | $31.10 |
Cutting the number down
- The heated bed, not the hotend, is the load. Lowering bed temperature after the first layers cuts the average draw.
- Long prints are cheap per hour but numerous: a week of continuous printing is a real line item.
Questions
- How many watts does a 3D printer use?
- About 120 W while running, though it cycles on and off, so average draw is 72 W.
- How much does a 3D printer cost per month?
- About 98.9¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $11.86 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $8.24 a year, versus $31.10 in Hawaii — a spread of $22.86.