How much does an incandescent bulb cost per month in California?

About $3.07 a month, assuming 60 W, 5 hours a day, 365 days a year at 33.61¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does an incandescent bulb use?

Roughly 110 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.06 kWh for every hour it runs.

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 $20.05 a year.

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Cost to run an incandescent bulb in California (July 2026 rates)

At 33.61¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in July 2026 — running an incandescent bulb costs $36.80 a year. That is 84% more than the national average of $20.05. California's residential rate is up 2.9% from July 2025, which moves this appliance from $35.76 to $36.80 a year.

Per hour: 2.0¢
Per day of use: 10.1¢
Per month: $3.07
Per year: $36.80

Assumption: 60 W, 5 hours a day, 365 days a year — 110 kWh a year. A 60 W bulb producing roughly the same 800 lumens as a 9 W LED. 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 $16.75 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same incandescent bulb costs $13.93 a year in Louisiana and $52.56 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $38.63 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	29.90¢	$2.73	$32.74
Massachusetts	30.49¢	$2.78	$33.39
Maine	32.41¢	$2.96	$35.49
California	33.61¢	$3.07	$36.80
Hawaii	48.00¢	$4.38	$52.56

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for an incandescent bulb.

What else costs about the same in California

Microwave$36.80 a year in CA Electric kettle$36.80 a year in CA Box fan$37.81 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

The comparison is the point: identical light, nearly seven times the electricity, for the whole life of the bulb.
Replacing the handful of bulbs that burn the most hours captures most of the available saving immediately.

Questions

How much does an incandescent bulb cost per month in California?: About $3.07 a month, assuming 60 W, 5 hours a day, 365 days a year at 33.61¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does an incandescent bulb use?: Roughly 110 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.06 kWh for every hour it runs.
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 $20.05 a year.