Cost to run a laptop in New York (August 2026 rates)
At 28.65¢ per kilowatt-hour — New York's average residential price in August 2026 — running a laptop costs $34.38 a year. That is 58% more than the national average of $21.79. New York's residential rate is up 7.5% from August 2025, which moves this appliance from $31.97 to $34.38 a year.
- Per hour
- 1.7¢
- Per day of use
- 13.8¢
- Per month
- $2.86
- Per year
- $34.38
Assumption: 60 W, 8 hours a day, 250 days a year — 120 kWh a year. Charging and working. Once the battery is full, draw drops toward 20 to 30 W for light work. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.
How New York compares
New York pays 28.65¢/kWh, the 6th most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $12.59 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same laptop costs $15.26 a year in Nevada and $56.62 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $41.35 a year.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $2.76 | $33.17 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $2.82 | $33.82 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $2.86 | $34.38 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $2.94 | $35.29 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $2.97 | $35.70 |
States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for a laptop.
What else costs about the same in New York
Cutting the number down
- A laptop typically uses a fifth to a tenth of what a comparable desktop does for ordinary work.
- The charger left plugged in with no laptop attached draws almost nothing on modern units.
Questions
- How much does a laptop cost per month in New York?
- About $2.86 a month, assuming 60 W, 8 hours a day, 250 days a year at 28.65¢/kWh.
- How many kilowatt-hours does a laptop use?
- Roughly 120 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.06 kWh for every hour it runs.
- Is that expensive compared with other states?
- New York has the 6th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $21.79 a year.