How much does an electric clothes dryer cost per month in California?

About $21.85 a month, assuming 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 33.61¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does an electric clothes dryer use?

Roughly 780 kWh a year under these assumptions.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

California has the 2nd most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $143 a year.

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Cost to run an electric clothes dryer in California (July 2026 rates)

At 33.61¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in July 2026 — running an electric clothes dryer costs $262 a year. That is 84% more than the national average of $143. California's residential rate is up 2.9% from July 2025, which moves this appliance from $255 to $262 a year.

Per cycle: $1.01
Per day: 71.8¢
Per month: $21.85
Per year: $262

Assumption: 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week — 780 kWh a year. A standard vented electric dryer. Heat-pump dryers use roughly half this per load. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How California compares

California pays 33.61¢/kWh, the 2nd most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $119 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same electric clothes dryer costs $99.22 a year in Louisiana and $374 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $275 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	29.90¢	$19.43	$233
Massachusetts	30.49¢	$19.82	$238
Maine	32.41¢	$21.07	$253
California	33.61¢	$21.85	$262
Hawaii	48.00¢	$31.20	$374

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for an electric clothes dryer.

What else costs about the same in California

Portable air conditioner$284 a year in CA Space heater$290 a year in CA Window air conditioner$232 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

The spin speed of the washer sets the dryer's workload. A faster final spin removes water mechanically instead of thermally, which is far cheaper.
A blocked lint screen or crushed vent hose makes every load run longer at full heat.
Back-to-back loads reuse a drum that is already hot.

Questions

How much does an electric clothes dryer cost per month in California?: About $21.85 a month, assuming 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 33.61¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does an electric clothes dryer use?: Roughly 780 kWh a year under these assumptions.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: California has the 2nd most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $143 a year.