Electricity rates in California
Households in California paid an average of 29.75¢ per kilowatt-hour in August 2026. That is 64% above the national average of 18.16¢, and the 4th most expensive of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions. Year over year the rate is down 3.8%.
- Average rate
- 29.75¢
- A year ago
- 30.92¢
- U.S. average
- 18.16¢
- Rank
- 4th most expensive
What common appliances cost in California
Every figure below is this state's rate applied to a stated usage assumption. Follow any row for the full breakdown.
| Appliance | kWh/year | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric car | 3,800 | $94.21 | $1,130 |
| Electric water heater | 3,500 | $86.77 | $1,041 |
| Hot tub | 2,500 | $61.98 | $744 |
| Central air conditioner | 2,352 | $58.31 | $700 |
| Heat pump | 2,160 | $53.55 | $643 |
| Pool pump | 1,728 | $42.84 | $514 |
| Electric baseboard heater | 1,350 | $33.47 | $402 |
| Garage refrigerator | 900 | $22.31 | $268 |
| Space heater | 864 | $21.42 | $257 |
| Portable air conditioner | 845 | $20.94 | $251 |
| Electric clothes dryer | 780 | $19.34 | $232 |
| Window air conditioner | 691 | $17.14 | $206 |
| Aquarium | 591 | $14.66 | $176 |
| Gaming pc | 584 | $14.48 | $174 |
| Well pump | 548 | $13.57 | $163 |
| Dehumidifier | 540 | $13.39 | $161 |
| Air purifier | 438 | $10.86 | $130 |
| Refrigerator | 400 | $9.92 | $119 |
| Desktop computer | 400 | $9.92 | $119 |
| Electric oven | 333 | $8.25 | $99.01 |
| Dishwasher | 312 | $7.73 | $92.82 |
| Chest freezer | 300 | $7.44 | $89.25 |
| Game console | 219 | $5.43 | $65.15 |
| Coffee maker | 164 | $4.07 | $48.86 |
| 55-inch led tv | 164 | $4.07 | $48.86 |
| Washing machine | 130 | $3.22 | $38.67 |
| Air fryer | 126 | $3.12 | $37.48 |
| Laptop | 120 | $2.97 | $35.70 |
| Box fan | 112 | $2.79 | $33.47 |
| Microwave | 110 | $2.71 | $32.58 |
| Electric kettle | 110 | $2.71 | $32.58 |
| Incandescent bulb | 110 | $2.71 | $32.58 |
| Treadmill | 105 | $2.60 | $31.24 |
| Slow cooker | 96 | $2.38 | $28.56 |
| Hair dryer | 94 | $2.34 | $28.11 |
| Wi-fi router | 88 | $2.17 | $26.06 |
| Ceiling fan | 86 | $2.14 | $25.70 |
| 3d printer | 65 | $1.61 | $19.28 |
| Computer monitor | 60 | $1.49 | $17.85 |
| Security camera | 44 | $1.09 | $13.03 |
| Electric pressure cooker | 42 | $1.04 | $12.49 |
| Rice cooker | 42 | $1.04 | $12.49 |
| Electric lawn mower | 42 | $1.03 | $12.38 |
| Electric blanket | 38 | 95.2¢ | $11.42 |
| Vacuum cleaner | 36 | 89.2¢ | $10.71 |
| Toaster | 35 | 86.9¢ | $10.42 |
| Smart speaker | 26 | 65.2¢ | $7.82 |
| Clothes iron | 16 | 40.9¢ | $4.91 |
| Led bulb | 16 | 40.7¢ | $4.89 |
| String of christmas lights | 7 | 16.7¢ | $2.01 |
The largest single line item on this list in California is an electric car at $1,130 a year. The whole list together comes to $8,395 a year, though few households run all of them.
The average California household's bill was $160.86 a month in 2024. Why it is that number.
There is a printable California Home Energy Cost Workbook — every appliance on this page costed at the state rate, ten changes ranked by what they save here, and audit, meter-log and payback worksheets. Download it free.
Questions
- What is the average electricity rate in California?
- 29.75¢ per kilowatt-hour for residential customers in August 2026, according to EIA's Electric Power Monthly.
- Is electricity expensive in California?
- It ranks 4th most expensive of 51 U.S. jurisdictions, 64% above the national average.
- Why is my bill higher than this rate suggests?
- This is a statewide average of what customers actually paid, so it already blends in fixed charges and taxes across all utilities and plans. Your own utility, rate plan, time-of-use period and tier can each move you well away from the average.