How much does a game console cost per month in California?

About $5.43 a month, assuming 200 W, 3 hours a day, 365 days a year at 29.75¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does a game console use?

Roughly 219 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.20 kWh for every hour it runs.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

California has the 4th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $39.77 a year.

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Cost to run a game console in California (August 2026 rates)

At 29.75¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in August 2026 — running a game console costs $65.15 a year. That is 64% more than the national average of $39.77. California's residential rate is down 3.8% from August 2025, which moves this appliance from $67.71 to $65.15 a year.

Per hour: 5.9¢
Per day of use: 17.9¢
Per month: $5.43
Per year: $65.15

Assumption: 200 W, 3 hours a day, 365 days a year — 219 kWh a year. A current-generation console under load. Menus and streaming apps draw far less than a demanding game. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How California compares

California pays 29.75¢/kWh, the 4th most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $25.38 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same game console costs $27.86 a year in Nevada and $103 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $75.47 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	28.65¢	$5.23	$62.74
Alaska	29.41¢	$5.37	$64.41
California	29.75¢	$5.43	$65.15
Massachusetts	30.48¢	$5.56	$66.75
Maine	32.11¢	$5.86	$70.32

States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for a game console.

What else costs about the same in California

Coffee maker$48.86 a year in CA 55-inch led tv$48.86 a year in CA Chest freezer$89.25 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

The instant-on standby mode can draw 10 to 15 W around the clock, which over a year rivals the actual playing.
Streaming video through a console uses several times the power of a dedicated streaming stick.

Questions

How much does a game console cost per month in California?: About $5.43 a month, assuming 200 W, 3 hours a day, 365 days a year at 29.75¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does a game console use?: Roughly 219 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.20 kWh for every hour it runs.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: California has the 4th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $39.77 a year.