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How much does it cost to run a 3D printer?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a 3D printer costs about $11.77 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 1.3¢
- Per day of use
- 7.8¢
- Per month
- 98.1¢
- Per year
- $11.77
Assumption: 120 W at a 60% duty cycle, 6 hours a day, 150 days a year — 65 kWh a year. A consumer FDM printer mid-print. The heated bed dominates the draw, and an enclosure lowers the duty cycle by holding heat in.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | 68.7¢ | $8.24 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | 69.5¢ | $8.34 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | 71.9¢ | $8.62 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | 71.9¢ | $8.62 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | 72.2¢ | $8.66 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | 72.5¢ | $8.70 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | 73.1¢ | $8.77 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | 74.5¢ | $8.94 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | 77.6¢ | $9.31 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | 77.9¢ | $9.35 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | 77.9¢ | $9.35 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | 79.0¢ | $9.48 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | 80.0¢ | $9.60 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | 80.7¢ | $9.69 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | 80.9¢ | $9.71 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | 81.3¢ | $9.75 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | 81.8¢ | $9.82 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | 83.5¢ | $10.02 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | 84.1¢ | $10.09 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | 85.1¢ | $10.21 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | 85.9¢ | $10.30 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | 85.9¢ | $10.31 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | 86.0¢ | $10.32 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | 86.5¢ | $10.38 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | 88.1¢ | $10.57 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | 88.2¢ | $10.58 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | 89.2¢ | $10.70 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | 91.9¢ | $11.03 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | 92.1¢ | $11.05 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | 92.7¢ | $11.13 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | 92.9¢ | $11.15 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | 95.3¢ | $11.43 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $1.01 | $12.12 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $1.04 | $12.52 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $1.05 | $12.56 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $1.05 | $12.58 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $1.16 | $13.87 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $1.18 | $14.11 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $1.24 | $14.90 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $1.29 | $15.45 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $1.32 | $15.88 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $1.33 | $15.95 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $1.40 | $16.84 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $1.49 | $17.91 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $1.52 | $18.26 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $1.55 | $18.57 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $1.59 | $19.06 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $1.61 | $19.28 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $1.65 | $19.75 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $1.73 | $20.81 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $2.55 | $30.57 |
Cutting the number down
- The heated bed, not the hotend, is the load. Lowering bed temperature after the first layers cuts the average draw.
- Long prints are cheap per hour but numerous: a week of continuous printing is a real line item.
Questions
- How many watts does a 3D printer use?
- About 120 W while running, though it cycles on and off, so average draw is 72 W.
- How much does a 3D printer cost per month?
- About 98.1¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $11.77 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $8.24 a year, versus $30.57 in Hawaii — a spread of $22.33.