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How much does it cost to run a hair dryer?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a hair dryer costs about $17.16 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 32.7¢
- Per day of use
- 4.9¢
- Per month
- $1.43
- Per year
- $17.16
Assumption: 1,800 W, 9 minutes a day, 350 days a year — 94 kWh a year. About nine minutes a day on high.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | $1.00 | $12.02 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $1.01 | $12.16 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $1.05 | $12.58 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $1.05 | $12.58 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $1.05 | $12.63 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $1.06 | $12.68 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $1.07 | $12.80 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $1.09 | $13.04 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $1.13 | $13.58 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $1.14 | $13.64 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $1.14 | $13.64 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $1.15 | $13.83 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $1.17 | $14.00 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $1.18 | $14.13 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $1.18 | $14.17 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $1.19 | $14.22 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $1.19 | $14.32 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $1.22 | $14.62 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $1.23 | $14.71 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $1.24 | $14.89 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $1.25 | $15.03 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $1.25 | $15.03 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $1.25 | $15.04 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $1.26 | $15.14 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $1.28 | $15.41 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $1.29 | $15.43 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $1.30 | $15.60 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $1.34 | $16.08 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $1.34 | $16.12 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $1.35 | $16.23 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $1.35 | $16.25 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $1.39 | $16.67 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $1.47 | $17.67 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $1.52 | $18.26 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $1.53 | $18.31 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $1.53 | $18.34 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $1.69 | $20.22 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $1.71 | $20.57 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $1.81 | $21.73 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $1.88 | $22.53 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $1.93 | $23.16 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $1.94 | $23.26 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $2.05 | $24.55 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $2.18 | $26.12 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $2.22 | $26.63 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $2.26 | $27.07 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $2.32 | $27.79 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $2.34 | $28.11 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $2.40 | $28.80 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $2.53 | $30.34 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $3.72 | $44.59 |
Cutting the number down
- Nearly 2,000 W sounds alarming, but a few minutes a day keeps the annual total modest.
- A cool-shot finish uses a fraction of the power of the heated setting.
Questions
- How many watts does a hair dryer use?
- About 1,800 W while running.
- How much does a hair dryer cost per month?
- About $1.43 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $17.16 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $12.02 a year, versus $44.59 in Hawaii — a spread of $32.56.