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How much does it cost to run a computer monitor?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a computer monitor costs about $10.99 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 0.5¢
- Per day of use
- 4.4¢
- Per month
- 91.5¢
- Per year
- $10.99
Assumption: 30 W, 8 hours a day, 250 days a year — 60 kWh a year. A 27-inch IPS panel at moderate brightness. Larger, brighter or HDR panels run two to three times this.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | 63.6¢ | $7.63 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | 63.9¢ | $7.66 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | 65.6¢ | $7.87 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | 67.0¢ | $8.05 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | 68.5¢ | $8.23 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | 68.7¢ | $8.24 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | 68.9¢ | $8.27 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | 69.0¢ | $8.29 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | 71.7¢ | $8.60 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | 71.7¢ | $8.61 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | 71.8¢ | $8.62 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | 72.7¢ | $8.72 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | 73.6¢ | $8.83 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | 74.9¢ | $8.99 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | 75.1¢ | $9.02 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | 75.8¢ | $9.10 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | 76.4¢ | $9.16 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | 76.8¢ | $9.22 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | 76.9¢ | $9.23 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | 77.3¢ | $9.28 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | 78.9¢ | $9.47 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | 79.4¢ | $9.53 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | 79.9¢ | $9.58 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | 80.0¢ | $9.59 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | 80.5¢ | $9.65 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | 80.5¢ | $9.65 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | 81.3¢ | $9.76 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | 82.0¢ | $9.84 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | 83.7¢ | $10.04 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | 85.0¢ | $10.20 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | 87.2¢ | $10.47 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | 87.8¢ | $10.53 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | 92.4¢ | $11.09 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | 95.3¢ | $11.44 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | 96.1¢ | $11.53 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | 97.2¢ | $11.67 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $1.07 | $12.85 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $1.09 | $13.03 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $1.15 | $13.83 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $1.19 | $14.25 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $1.21 | $14.50 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $1.26 | $15.11 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $1.26 | $15.13 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $1.33 | $15.96 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $1.41 | $16.97 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $1.44 | $17.30 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $1.49 | $17.94 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $1.52 | $18.29 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $1.62 | $19.45 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $1.68 | $20.17 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $2.40 | $28.80 |
Cutting the number down
- Brightness is the dominant variable. Dropping from 100% to 60% is a real cut in draw and usually more comfortable.
Questions
- How many watts does a computer monitor use?
- About 30 W while running.
- How much does a computer monitor cost per month?
- About 91.5¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $10.99 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $7.63 a year, versus $28.80 in Hawaii — a spread of $21.17.