Home › Appliances › Slow cooker
How much does it cost to run a slow cooker?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a slow cooker costs about $17.43 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 3.6¢
- Per day of use
- 29.1¢
- Per month
- $1.45
- Per year
- $17.43
Assumption: 200 W, 8 hours a day, 60 days a year — 96 kWh a year. A 6-quart cooker on low. Eight hours at 200 W is less energy than one hour of oven time.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | $1.02 | $12.21 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $1.03 | $12.36 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $1.06 | $12.78 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $1.06 | $12.78 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $1.07 | $12.84 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $1.07 | $12.88 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $1.08 | $13.00 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $1.10 | $13.25 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $1.15 | $13.80 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $1.15 | $13.85 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $1.15 | $13.85 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $1.17 | $14.04 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $1.19 | $14.23 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $1.20 | $14.35 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $1.20 | $14.39 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $1.20 | $14.45 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $1.21 | $14.54 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $1.24 | $14.85 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $1.25 | $14.95 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $1.26 | $15.13 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $1.27 | $15.26 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $1.27 | $15.27 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $1.27 | $15.28 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $1.28 | $15.38 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $1.30 | $15.66 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $1.31 | $15.68 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $1.32 | $15.85 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $1.36 | $16.34 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $1.36 | $16.38 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $1.37 | $16.48 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $1.38 | $16.51 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $1.41 | $16.93 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $1.50 | $17.95 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $1.55 | $18.55 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $1.55 | $18.60 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $1.55 | $18.63 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $1.71 | $20.54 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $1.74 | $20.90 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $1.84 | $22.07 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $1.91 | $22.89 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $1.96 | $23.53 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $1.97 | $23.63 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $2.08 | $24.94 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $2.21 | $26.53 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $2.25 | $27.05 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $2.29 | $27.50 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $2.35 | $28.23 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $2.38 | $28.56 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $2.44 | $29.26 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $2.57 | $30.83 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $3.77 | $45.29 |
Cutting the number down
- Long and low is genuinely cheap: the whole point is a small element holding a well-insulated pot, not a big element fighting a big cavity.
- Lifting the lid to peek costs 15 to 20 minutes of added cooking time each go.
Questions
- How many watts does a slow cooker use?
- About 200 W while running.
- How much does a slow cooker cost per month?
- About $1.45 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $17.43 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $12.21 a year, versus $45.29 in Hawaii — a spread of $33.08.