Electricity rates in California
Households in California paid an average of 33.61¢ per kilowatt-hour in July 2026. That is 84% above the national average of 18.31¢, and the 2nd most expensive of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Year over year the rate is up 2.9%.
- Average rate
- 33.61¢
- A year ago
- 32.66¢
- U.S. average
- 18.31¢
- Rank
- 2nd most expensive
What common appliances cost in California
Every figure below is this state's rate applied to a stated usage assumption. Follow any row for the full breakdown.
| Appliance | kWh/year | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric car | 3,800 | $106 | $1,277 |
| Electric water heater | 3,500 | $98.03 | $1,176 |
| Hot tub | 2,500 | $70.02 | $840 |
| Central air conditioner | 2,352 | $65.88 | $791 |
| Heat pump | 2,160 | $60.50 | $726 |
| Pool pump | 1,728 | $48.40 | $581 |
| Electric baseboard heater | 1,350 | $37.81 | $454 |
| Garage refrigerator | 900 | $25.21 | $302 |
| Space heater | 864 | $24.20 | $290 |
| Portable air conditioner | 845 | $23.66 | $284 |
| Electric clothes dryer | 780 | $21.85 | $262 |
| Window air conditioner | 691 | $19.36 | $232 |
| Aquarium | 591 | $16.56 | $199 |
| Gaming pc | 584 | $16.36 | $196 |
| Well pump | 548 | $15.33 | $184 |
| Dehumidifier | 540 | $15.12 | $181 |
| Air purifier | 438 | $12.27 | $147 |
| Refrigerator | 400 | $11.20 | $134 |
| Desktop computer | 400 | $11.20 | $134 |
| Electric oven | 333 | $9.32 | $112 |
| Dishwasher | 312 | $8.74 | $105 |
| Chest freezer | 300 | $8.40 | $101 |
| Game console | 219 | $6.13 | $73.61 |
| Coffee maker | 164 | $4.60 | $55.20 |
| 55-inch led tv | 164 | $4.60 | $55.20 |
| Washing machine | 130 | $3.64 | $43.69 |
| Air fryer | 126 | $3.53 | $42.35 |
| Laptop | 120 | $3.36 | $40.33 |
| Box fan | 112 | $3.15 | $37.81 |
| Microwave | 110 | $3.07 | $36.80 |
| Electric kettle | 110 | $3.07 | $36.80 |
| Incandescent bulb | 110 | $3.07 | $36.80 |
| Treadmill | 105 | $2.94 | $35.29 |
| Slow cooker | 96 | $2.69 | $32.27 |
| Hair dryer | 94 | $2.65 | $31.76 |
| Wi-fi router | 88 | $2.45 | $29.44 |
| Ceiling fan | 86 | $2.42 | $29.04 |
| 3d printer | 65 | $1.81 | $21.78 |
| Computer monitor | 60 | $1.68 | $20.17 |
| Security camera | 44 | $1.23 | $14.72 |
| Electric pressure cooker | 42 | $1.18 | $14.12 |
| Rice cooker | 42 | $1.18 | $14.12 |
| Electric lawn mower | 42 | $1.17 | $13.98 |
| Electric blanket | 38 | $1.08 | $12.91 |
| Vacuum cleaner | 36 | $1.01 | $12.10 |
| Toaster | 35 | 98.1¢ | $11.78 |
| Smart speaker | 26 | 73.6¢ | $8.83 |
| Clothes iron | 16 | 46.2¢ | $5.55 |
| Led bulb | 16 | 46.0¢ | $5.52 |
| String of christmas lights | 7 | 18.9¢ | $2.27 |
The largest single line item on this list in California is an electric car at $1,277 a year. The whole list together comes to $9,484 a year, though few households run all of them.
The average California household's bill was $160.86 a month in 2024. Why it is that number.
There is a printable California Home Energy Cost Workbook — every appliance on this page costed at the state rate, ten changes ranked by what they save here, and audit, meter-log and payback worksheets. Download it free.
Questions
- What is the average electricity rate in California?
- 33.61¢ per kilowatt-hour for residential customers in July 2026, according to EIA's Electric Power Monthly.
- Is electricity expensive in California?
- It ranks 2nd most expensive of 51 U.S. jurisdictions, 84% above the national average.
- Why is my bill higher than this rate suggests?
- This is a statewide average of what customers actually paid, so it already blends in fixed charges and taxes across all utilities and plans. Your own utility, rate plan, time-of-use period and tier can each move you well away from the average.