Calculator · US average 18.3¢/kWh
kWh Cost Calculator
The short answer
Multiply kilowatt-hours by your rate to get dollars. At the US average of 18.3¢/kWh, 100 kWh costs $18.31 and 1,000 kWh costs $183.
Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated
kWh cost at today’s average rates
| Energy | US average | Cheapest state | Priciest state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 kWh | $0.18 | $0.13 | $0.48 |
| 10 kWh | $1.83 | $1.27 | $4.80 |
| 100 kWh | $18.31 | $12.72 | $48.00 |
| 500 kWh | $91.55 | $63.60 | $240 |
| 1,000 kWh | $183 | $127 | $480 |
| 2,000 kWh | $366 | $254 | $960 |
Cheapest: Louisiana (12.7¢). Priciest: Hawaii (48.0¢). EIA, July 2026.
What is a kWh?
A kilowatt-hour is the energy used by a 1,000-watt device running for one hour. It’s the unit on your electric bill. The average US home used about 1,160 kWh in July 2026, for an average bill of about $212.
Cost ($) = kWh × rate (¢/kWh) ÷ 100
Your actual bill may also include fixed monthly charges, taxes and time-of-use pricing, so the per-kWh average EIA reports already folds many of those in. For device-level estimates, try the electricity cost calculator or watts to kWh.
Sources & method
- Electricity rates: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly — average residential retail price, July 2026 (latest available). Retrieved .
- CO₂: EIA State Electricity Profiles, 2024 emissions rate of in-state power generation.
- Formulas, duty cycles and limitations: methodology. Data download: open data (CC BY 4.0).