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How much does it cost to run a slow cooker?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a slow cooker costs about $17.58 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 3.7¢
- Per day of use
- 29.3¢
- Per month
- $1.46
- Per year
- $17.58
Assumption: 200 W, 8 hours a day, 60 days a year — 96 kWh a year. A 6-quart cooker on low. Eight hours at 200 W is less energy than one hour of oven time.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | $1.02 | $12.21 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | $1.02 | $12.26 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | $1.05 | $12.60 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | $1.07 | $12.87 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $1.10 | $13.16 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | $1.10 | $13.18 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | $1.10 | $13.23 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | $1.10 | $13.26 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | $1.15 | $13.76 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | $1.15 | $13.78 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | $1.15 | $13.79 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | $1.16 | $13.96 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | $1.18 | $14.12 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | $1.20 | $14.39 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | $1.20 | $14.43 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | $1.21 | $14.55 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | $1.22 | $14.66 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | $1.23 | $14.76 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | $1.23 | $14.76 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | $1.24 | $14.85 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | $1.26 | $15.15 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | $1.27 | $15.24 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | $1.28 | $15.33 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | $1.28 | $15.35 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | $1.29 | $15.45 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | $1.29 | $15.45 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | $1.30 | $15.62 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $1.31 | $15.74 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | $1.34 | $16.06 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | $1.36 | $16.32 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | $1.40 | $16.75 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | $1.40 | $16.85 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | $1.48 | $17.74 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | $1.52 | $18.30 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | $1.54 | $18.45 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | $1.56 | $18.67 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $1.71 | $20.55 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $1.74 | $20.85 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $1.84 | $22.13 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $1.90 | $22.80 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $1.93 | $23.19 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $2.02 | $24.18 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $2.02 | $24.20 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $2.13 | $25.54 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $2.26 | $27.16 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $2.31 | $27.68 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $2.39 | $28.70 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $2.44 | $29.27 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $2.59 | $31.11 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $2.69 | $32.27 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $3.84 | $46.08 |
Cutting the number down
- Long and low is genuinely cheap: the whole point is a small element holding a well-insulated pot, not a big element fighting a big cavity.
- Lifting the lid to peek costs 15 to 20 minutes of added cooking time each go.
Questions
- How many watts does a slow cooker use?
- About 200 W while running.
- How much does a slow cooker cost per month?
- About $1.46 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $17.58 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $12.21 a year, versus $46.08 in Hawaii — a spread of $33.87.