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How much does it cost to run a hair dryer?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a hair dryer costs about $17.30 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 33.0¢
- Per day of use
- 4.9¢
- Per month
- $1.44
- Per year
- $17.30
Assumption: 1,800 W, 9 minutes a day, 350 days a year — 94 kWh a year. About nine minutes a day on high.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | $1.00 | $12.02 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | $1.01 | $12.07 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | $1.03 | $12.40 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | $1.06 | $12.67 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $1.08 | $12.96 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | $1.08 | $12.97 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | $1.09 | $13.02 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | $1.09 | $13.05 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | $1.13 | $13.54 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | $1.13 | $13.56 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | $1.13 | $13.57 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | $1.15 | $13.74 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | $1.16 | $13.90 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | $1.18 | $14.17 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | $1.18 | $14.20 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | $1.19 | $14.33 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | $1.20 | $14.43 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | $1.21 | $14.52 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | $1.21 | $14.53 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | $1.22 | $14.62 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | $1.24 | $14.91 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | $1.25 | $15.01 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | $1.26 | $15.09 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | $1.26 | $15.11 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | $1.27 | $15.21 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | $1.27 | $15.21 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | $1.28 | $15.38 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $1.29 | $15.50 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | $1.32 | $15.81 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | $1.34 | $16.07 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | $1.37 | $16.49 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | $1.38 | $16.58 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | $1.46 | $17.46 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | $1.50 | $18.01 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | $1.51 | $18.16 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | $1.53 | $18.38 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $1.69 | $20.23 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $1.71 | $20.53 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $1.82 | $21.78 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $1.87 | $22.44 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $1.90 | $22.83 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $1.98 | $23.80 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $1.99 | $23.82 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $2.09 | $25.14 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $2.23 | $26.73 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $2.27 | $27.24 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $2.35 | $28.26 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $2.40 | $28.81 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $2.55 | $30.63 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $2.65 | $31.76 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $3.78 | $45.36 |
Cutting the number down
- Nearly 2,000 W sounds alarming, but a few minutes a day keeps the annual total modest.
- A cool-shot finish uses a fraction of the power of the heated setting.
Questions
- How many watts does a hair dryer use?
- About 1,800 W while running.
- How much does a hair dryer cost per month?
- About $1.44 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $17.30 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $12.02 a year, versus $45.36 in Hawaii — a spread of $33.34.