How much does a garage refrigerator cost per month in California?

About $22.31 a month, assuming 900 kWh a year at 29.75¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does a garage refrigerator use?

Roughly 900 kWh a year under these assumptions.

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 $163 a year.

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Cost to run a garage refrigerator in California (August 2026 rates)

At 29.75¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in August 2026 — running a garage refrigerator costs $268 a year. That is 64% more than the national average of $163. California's residential rate is down 3.8% from August 2025, which moves this appliance from $278 to $268 a year.

Per day: 73.4¢
Per month: $22.31
Per year: $268

Assumption: 900 kWh a year. An older second fridge in an unconditioned garage. Age and ambient heat both push this well above a modern kitchen unit. 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 $104 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same garage refrigerator costs $114 a year in Nevada and $425 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $310 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	28.65¢	$21.49	$258
Alaska	29.41¢	$22.06	$265
California	29.75¢	$22.31	$268
Massachusetts	30.48¢	$22.86	$274
Maine	32.11¢	$24.08	$289

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

What else costs about the same in California

Space heater$257 a year in CA Portable air conditioner$251 a year in CA Electric clothes dryer$232 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

This is the classic hidden line item: a 20-year-old beer fridge can cost more per year than every light in the house combined.
Running it only in the months you actually need it, rather than year-round, cuts the cost proportionally.

Questions

How much does a garage refrigerator cost per month in California?: About $22.31 a month, assuming 900 kWh a year at 29.75¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does a garage refrigerator use?: Roughly 900 kWh a year under these assumptions.
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 $163 a year.