How Much Does It Cost to Run a Microwave per Day and Month?

Source: Planning watts of 1,100 and 0.25 hours a day, hours a day, equal to about 15 minutes of cooking. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 1% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. It runs all year, so the yearly cost is twelve times the monthly figure.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $1 a month and the highest $8. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same microwave costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 8 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

A microwave draws a lot of power but only for minutes at a time. The wattage on the label is the electrical input, and the cooking power is lower. The clock display and any always-on circuitry draw a small constant amount.

The monthly cost is small. Heating small portions in a microwave usually uses less energy than a full-size oven.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 700 to 1,500 watts. At 0.25 hours a day that is $1 to $2 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Use the microwave instead of the oven for small portions.
• Cover food to heat it faster.
• Check whether the clock display runs all day. It is a tiny but constant load.

Next step: Electric oven costs. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the kitchen and laundry group: Refrigerator, Freezer, Clothes Dryer, Washing Machine, Dishwasher, Electric Oven, Electric Stove, Chest Freezer, Electric Kettle, Air Fryer, Coffee Maker.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 1,100 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 0.25 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.