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How much does it cost to run a smart speaker?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a smart speaker costs about $4.77 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- under 0.1¢
- Per day of use
- 1.3¢
- Per month
- 39.8¢
- Per year
- $4.77
Assumption: 3 W, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — 26 kWh a year. Idle listening. Playing music at volume draws several times more, but only while it plays.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.72¢ | 27.9¢ | $3.34 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | 28.2¢ | $3.38 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | 29.1¢ | $3.50 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | 29.1¢ | $3.50 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | 29.3¢ | $3.51 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | 29.4¢ | $3.53 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | 29.7¢ | $3.56 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | 30.2¢ | $3.63 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | 31.5¢ | $3.78 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | 31.6¢ | $3.79 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | 31.6¢ | $3.79 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | 32.0¢ | $3.84 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | 32.5¢ | $3.89 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | 32.7¢ | $3.93 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | 32.8¢ | $3.94 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | 33.0¢ | $3.96 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | 33.2¢ | $3.98 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | 33.9¢ | $4.07 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | 34.1¢ | $4.09 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | 34.5¢ | $4.14 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | 34.8¢ | $4.18 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | 34.8¢ | $4.18 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | 34.9¢ | $4.18 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | 35.1¢ | $4.21 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | 35.7¢ | $4.29 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | 35.8¢ | $4.29 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | 36.2¢ | $4.34 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | 37.3¢ | $4.47 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | 37.4¢ | $4.48 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | 37.6¢ | $4.51 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | 37.7¢ | $4.52 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | 38.6¢ | $4.64 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | 41.0¢ | $4.91 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | 42.3¢ | $5.08 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | 42.4¢ | $5.09 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | 42.5¢ | $5.10 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | 46.9¢ | $5.62 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | 47.7¢ | $5.72 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | 50.3¢ | $6.04 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | 52.2¢ | $6.27 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | 53.7¢ | $6.44 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | 53.9¢ | $6.47 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | 56.9¢ | $6.83 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | 60.5¢ | $7.26 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | 61.7¢ | $7.41 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | 62.7¢ | $7.53 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | 64.4¢ | $7.73 |
| California | 29.75¢ | 65.2¢ | $7.82 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | 66.8¢ | $8.01 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | 70.3¢ | $8.44 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $1.03 | $12.40 |
Cutting the number down
- The interesting number is the idle draw, because that is the one that runs 8,760 hours a year.
Questions
- How many watts does a smart speaker use?
- About 3 W while running.
- How much does a smart speaker cost per month?
- About 39.8¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $4.77 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $3.34 a year, versus $12.40 in Hawaii — a spread of $9.06.