How much does a washing machine cost per month in North Carolina?

About $1.60 a month, assuming 0.50 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 14.74¢/kWh.

How many kilowatt-hours does a washing machine use?

Roughly 130 kWh a year under these assumptions.

Is that expensive compared with other states?

North Carolina has the 11th cheapest average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs less here than the U.S. average of $23.84 a year.

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Cost to run a washing machine in North Carolina (June 2026 rates)

At 14.74¢ per kilowatt-hour — North Carolina's average residential price in June 2026 — running a washing machine costs $19.16 a year. That is 20% less than the national average of $23.84. North Carolina's residential rate is up 10.2% from June 2025, which moves this appliance from $17.39 to $19.16 a year.

Per cycle: 7.4¢
Per day: 5.2¢
Per month: $1.60
Per year: $19.16

Assumption: 0.50 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week — 130 kWh a year. A front-loader on a warm cycle, including the water heating attributable to the wash. A cold wash lands closer to 0.15 kWh. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.

How North Carolina compares

North Carolina pays 14.74¢/kWh, the 11th cheapest residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $4.68 less a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same washing machine costs $17.04 a year in Nevada and $68.54 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $51.49 a year.

State	Rate	Per month	Per year
Oklahoma	14.33¢	$1.55	$18.63
Idaho	14.37¢	$1.56	$18.68
North Carolina	14.74¢	$1.60	$19.16
Mississippi	14.88¢	$1.61	$19.34
Washington	14.91¢	$1.62	$19.38

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

What else costs about the same in North Carolina

Air fryer$18.57 a year in NC Laptop$17.69 a year in NC Box fan$16.58 a year in NC

Cutting the number down

Almost all of a washer's energy is water heating, so switching to cold is close to switching the appliance off, energy-wise.
Modern detergents are formulated for cold water; the hot-wash habit outlived the chemistry that required it.

Questions

How much does a washing machine cost per month in North Carolina?: About $1.60 a month, assuming 0.50 kWh per cycle, 5 cycles a week at 14.74¢/kWh.
How many kilowatt-hours does a washing machine use?: Roughly 130 kWh a year under these assumptions.
Is that expensive compared with other states?: North Carolina has the 11th cheapest average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs less here than the U.S. average of $23.84 a year.