Cost to run a toaster in California (August 2026 rates)
At 29.75¢ per kilowatt-hour — California's average residential price in August 2026 — running a toaster costs $10.42 a year. That is 64% more than the national average of $6.36. California's residential rate is down 3.8% from August 2025, which moves this appliance from $10.83 to $10.42 a year.
- Per hour
- 35.7¢
- Per day of use
- 2.9¢
- Per month
- 86.9¢
- Per year
- $10.42
Assumption: 1,200 W, 5 minutes a day, 365 days a year — 35 kWh a year. Roughly five minutes 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 $4.06 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same toaster costs $4.46 a year in Nevada and $16.53 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $12.07 a year.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 28.65¢ | 83.7¢ | $10.04 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | 85.9¢ | $10.31 |
| California | 29.75¢ | 86.9¢ | $10.42 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | 89.0¢ | $10.68 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | 93.8¢ | $11.25 |
States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for a toaster.
What else costs about the same in California
Cutting the number down
- High wattage, tiny runtime: a toaster is a good reminder that watts alone tell you nothing without hours.
Questions
- How much does a toaster cost per month in California?
- About 86.9¢ a month, assuming 1,200 W, 5 minutes a day, 365 days a year at 29.75¢/kWh.
- How many kilowatt-hours does a toaster use?
- Roughly 35 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 1.20 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 $6.36 a year.