How much does a microwave cost per month in North Carolina?

About $1.38 a month, assuming 1,200 W, 15 minutes a day, 365 days a year at 15.16¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does a microwave use?

Roughly 110 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 1.20 kWh for every hour it runs.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

North Carolina has the 16th cheapest average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs less here than the U.S. average of $20.05 a year.

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Cost to run a microwave in North Carolina (July 2026 rates)

At 15.16¢ per kilowatt-hour — North Carolina's average residential price in July 2026 — running a microwave costs $16.60 a year. That is 17% less than the national average of $20.05. North Carolina's residential rate is up 13.4% from July 2025, which moves this appliance from $14.64 to $16.60 a year.

Per hour: 18.2¢
Per day of use: 4.5¢
Per month: $1.38
Per year: $16.60

Assumption: 1,200 W, 15 minutes a day, 365 days a year — 110 kWh a year. Draw while cooking; the 1,100 W on the label is delivered power and the wall draw is a little higher. Assumes 15 minutes a day of actual use. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How North Carolina compares

North Carolina pays 15.16¢/kWh, the 16th cheapest residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $3.45 less a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same microwave 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
Montana	14.99¢	$1.37	$16.41
Florida	15.03¢	$1.37	$16.46
North Carolina	15.16¢	$1.38	$16.60
Kansas	15.27¢	$1.39	$16.72
South Dakota	15.37¢	$1.40	$16.83

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for a microwave.

What else costs about the same in North Carolina

Incandescent bulb$16.60 a year in NC Electric kettle$16.60 a year in NC Box fan$17.05 a year in NC

Cutting the number down

Reheating in a microwave is close to the cheapest way to put heat into food, because nearly all of it lands in the food rather than the air.
The clock display draws a couple of watts around the clock, which over a year is a meaningful share of a lightly used microwave's total.

Questions

How much does a microwave cost per month in North Carolina?: About $1.38 a month, assuming 1,200 W, 15 minutes a day, 365 days a year at 15.16¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does a microwave use?: Roughly 110 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 1.20 kWh for every hour it runs.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: North Carolina has the 16th cheapest average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs less here than the U.S. average of $20.05 a year.