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How much does it cost to run a smart speaker?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a smart speaker costs about $4.81 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- under 0.1¢
- Per day of use
- 1.3¢
- Per month
- 40.1¢
- Per year
- $4.81
Assumption: 3 W, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — 26 kWh a year. Idle listening. Playing music at volume draws several times more, but only while it plays.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | 27.9¢ | $3.34 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | 28.0¢ | $3.36 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | 28.7¢ | $3.45 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | 29.4¢ | $3.52 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | 30.0¢ | $3.60 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | 30.1¢ | $3.61 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | 30.2¢ | $3.62 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | 30.2¢ | $3.63 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | 31.4¢ | $3.77 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | 31.4¢ | $3.77 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | 31.4¢ | $3.77 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | 31.8¢ | $3.82 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | 32.2¢ | $3.87 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | 32.8¢ | $3.94 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | 32.9¢ | $3.95 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | 33.2¢ | $3.98 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | 33.4¢ | $4.01 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | 33.7¢ | $4.04 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | 33.7¢ | $4.04 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | 33.9¢ | $4.07 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | 34.6¢ | $4.15 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | 34.8¢ | $4.17 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | 35.0¢ | $4.20 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | 35.0¢ | $4.20 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | 35.2¢ | $4.23 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | 35.2¢ | $4.23 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | 35.6¢ | $4.28 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | 35.9¢ | $4.31 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | 36.6¢ | $4.40 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | 37.2¢ | $4.47 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | 38.2¢ | $4.59 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | 38.4¢ | $4.61 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | 40.5¢ | $4.86 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | 41.7¢ | $5.01 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | 42.1¢ | $5.05 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | 42.6¢ | $5.11 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | 46.9¢ | $5.63 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | 47.6¢ | $5.71 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | 50.5¢ | $6.06 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | 52.0¢ | $6.24 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | 52.9¢ | $6.35 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | 55.2¢ | $6.62 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | 55.2¢ | $6.63 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | 58.3¢ | $6.99 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | 62.0¢ | $7.43 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | 63.1¢ | $7.58 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | 65.5¢ | $7.86 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | 66.8¢ | $8.01 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | 71.0¢ | $8.52 |
| California | 33.61¢ | 73.6¢ | $8.83 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $1.05 | $12.61 |
Cutting the number down
- The interesting number is the idle draw, because that is the one that runs 8,760 hours a year.
Questions
- How many watts does a smart speaker use?
- About 3 W while running.
- How much does a smart speaker cost per month?
- About 40.1¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $4.81 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $3.34 a year, versus $12.61 in Hawaii — a spread of $9.27.