How much does a security camera cost per month in California?

About $1.09 a month, assuming 5 W, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at 29.75¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does a security camera use?

Roughly 44 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.01 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 $7.95 a year.

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Cost to run a security camera in California (August 2026 rates)

At 29.75¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in August 2026 — running a security camera costs $13.03 a year. That is 64% more than the national average of $7.95. California's residential rate is down 3.8% from August 2025, which moves this appliance from $13.54 to $13.03 a year.

Per hour: 0.1¢
Per day of use: 3.6¢
Per month: $1.09
Per year: $13.03

Assumption: 5 W, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — 44 kWh a year. Per wired camera, including night-vision illuminators averaged over a day. 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 $5.08 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same security camera costs $5.57 a year in Nevada and $20.66 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $15.09 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
New York	28.65¢	$1.05	$12.55
Alaska	29.41¢	$1.07	$12.88
California	29.75¢	$1.09	$13.03
Massachusetts	30.48¢	$1.11	$13.35
Maine	32.11¢	$1.17	$14.06

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

What else costs about the same in California

Electric pressure cooker$12.49 a year in CA Rice cooker$12.49 a year in CA Electric lawn mower$12.38 a year in CA

Cutting the number down

Individually trivial, collectively real: eight cameras around the clock is an always-on load worth knowing about.

Questions

How much does a security camera cost per month in California?: About $1.09 a month, assuming 5 W, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at 29.75¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does a security camera use?: Roughly 44 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 0.01 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 $7.95 a year.