How much does an electric clothes dryer cost per month in California?

About $22.58 a month, assuming 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 34.74¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does an electric clothes dryer use?

Roughly 780 kWh a year under these assumptions.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

California has the 2nd most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $143 a year.

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Cost to run an electric clothes dryer in California (June 2026 rates)

At 34.74¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in June 2026 — running an electric clothes dryer costs $271 a year. That is 89% more than the national average of $143. California's residential rate is up 3.4% from June 2025, which moves this appliance from $262 to $271 a year.

Per cycle: $1.04
Per day: 74.2¢
Per month: $22.58
Per year: $271

Assumption: 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week — 780 kWh a year. A standard vented electric dryer. Heat-pump dryers use roughly half this per load. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How California compares

California pays 34.74¢/kWh, the 2nd most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $128 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same electric clothes dryer costs $102 a year in Nevada and $411 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $309 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	29.49¢	$19.17	$230
Maine	29.59¢	$19.23	$231
Massachusetts	29.61¢	$19.25	$231
California	34.74¢	$22.58	$271
Hawaii	52.72¢	$34.27	$411

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for an electric clothes dryer.

What else costs about the same in California

Portable air conditioner$293 a year in CA Space heater$300 a year in CA Window air conditioner$240 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

The spin speed of the washer sets the dryer's workload. A faster final spin removes water mechanically instead of thermally, which is far cheaper.
A blocked lint screen or crushed vent hose makes every load run longer at full heat.
Back-to-back loads reuse a drum that is already hot.

Questions

How much does an electric clothes dryer cost per month in California?: About $22.58 a month, assuming 3.00 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 34.74¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does an electric clothes dryer use?: Roughly 780 kWh a year under these assumptions.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: California has the 2nd most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $143 a year.