U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Entertainment · California

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Gaming PC in California?

The short answer

A typical 500W gaming PC costs about $0.17 per hour to run in California, or $20.45 a month at 4 hours a day.

California’s average residential rate was 33.6¢ per kWh in July 2026 (EIA), 84% above the US average.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Gaming PC cost by daily use in California

Cost at 33.6¢/kWh, the California average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 15.2 $0.17 $5.11 $61.34
2 hours/day 30.4 $0.34 $10.22 $123
4 hours/day 60.8 $0.67 $20.45 $245
8 hours/day 121.7 $1.34 $40.90 $491
12 hours/day 182.5 $2.02 $61.34 $736
24 hours/day 365.0 $4.03 $123 $1,472

California vs other states

At typical use, a gaming PC costs $245 a year in California — $105 less than in Hawaii and $152 more than in Louisiana.

California has the 2nd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. California electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in California

33.6¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +2.9% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a gaming PC

A gaming PC's power draw depends on the GPU and CPU and on how demanding the game is. A mid-range build typically pulls around 400–500W from the wall during gaming, while high-end systems with top-tier graphics cards can exceed 700–800W. Idle and desktop use is much lower, often 60–120W. The monitor adds another 30–80W.

  • Cap frame rates to your monitor's refresh rate — rendering frames you can't see wastes power.
  • Use your GPU's power-limit or efficiency settings for a large power cut with a small performance loss.
  • Set the PC to sleep after 15–30 minutes of inactivity.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a gaming PC for 24 hours in California?

Running a 500W gaming PC for 24 hours uses about 12.0 kWh, which costs about $4.03 at California’s average rate of 33.6¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a gaming PC use per month?

At 4 hours a day, a typical gaming PC uses about 60.8 kWh a month. In California that costs $20.45.

Is it expensive to run a gaming PC in California?

California has the 2nd-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 33.6¢/kWh — one of the most expensive. Running a gaming PC here costs about $245 a year at typical use, compared with $134 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in California right now?

The average residential electricity rate in California was 33.6¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 2.9% from a year earlier.

Does a gaming PC use more electricity than a console?

Usually yes. A typical gaming PC draws 2–3 times more than a PS5 or Xbox Series X while gaming.

Gaming PC costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method