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How much does it cost to run an aquarium?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running an aquarium costs about $107 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 1.2¢
- Per day of use
- 29.4¢
- Per month
- $8.95
- Per year
- $107
Assumption: 150 W at a 45% duty cycle, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — 591 kWh a year. A 55-gallon tank: heater, filter and light combined, averaged over a day.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | $6.27 | $75.21 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $6.34 | $76.10 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $6.56 | $78.70 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $6.56 | $78.70 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $6.59 | $79.06 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $6.61 | $79.35 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $6.67 | $80.06 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $6.80 | $81.60 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $7.08 | $84.97 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $7.11 | $85.32 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $7.11 | $85.32 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $7.21 | $86.51 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $7.30 | $87.63 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $7.37 | $88.40 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $7.39 | $88.64 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $7.42 | $88.99 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $7.47 | $89.58 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $7.62 | $91.47 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $7.67 | $92.07 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $7.77 | $93.19 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $7.83 | $94.02 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $7.84 | $94.08 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $7.84 | $94.13 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $7.89 | $94.73 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $8.04 | $96.44 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $8.05 | $96.56 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $8.14 | $97.62 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $8.39 | $101 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $8.41 | $101 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $8.46 | $102 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $8.48 | $102 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $8.69 | $104 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $9.21 | $111 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $9.52 | $114 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $9.55 | $115 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $9.56 | $115 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $10.54 | $127 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $10.73 | $129 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $11.33 | $136 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $11.75 | $141 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $12.08 | $145 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $12.13 | $146 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $12.80 | $154 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $13.62 | $163 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $13.89 | $167 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $14.12 | $169 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $14.49 | $174 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $14.66 | $176 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $15.02 | $180 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $15.82 | $190 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $23.25 | $279 |
Cutting the number down
- The heater is nearly all of it, and its runtime depends on the room. A tank in a cool room costs more to keep warm.
- Insulating the back and sides of the tank cuts heater runtime without changing the view.
- A lid limits evaporative heat loss, which is the main way an open tank sheds the warmth you paid for.
Questions
- How many watts does an aquarium use?
- About 150 W while running, though it cycles on and off, so average draw is 68 W.
- How much does an aquarium cost per month?
- About $8.95 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $107 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $75.21 a year, versus $279 in Hawaii — a spread of $204.