U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
Appliances Rates by state Compare Calculators Reports Methodology About

Entertainment · Iowa

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

The short answer

In Iowa, a gaming PC drawing 500W costs about $0.08 per hour — roughly $9.73 a month if it runs 4 hours a day.

That’s based on Iowa’s average residential rate of 16.0¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026), 13% below the US average.

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

Gaming PC cost by daily use in Iowa

Cost at 16.0¢/kWh, the Iowa average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 15.2 $0.08 $2.43 $29.18
2 hours/day 30.4 $0.16 $4.86 $58.36
4 hours/day 60.8 $0.32 $9.73 $117
8 hours/day 121.7 $0.64 $19.46 $233
12 hours/day 182.5 $0.96 $29.18 $350
24 hours/day 365.0 $1.92 $58.37 $700

Iowa vs other states

At typical use, a gaming PC costs $117 a year in Iowa — $234 less than in Hawaii and $23.87 more than in Louisiana.

Iowa has the 24th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Iowa electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Iowa

16.0¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +4.4% 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 Iowa?

Running a 500W gaming PC for 24 hours uses about 12.0 kWh, which costs about $1.92 at Iowa’s average rate of 16.0¢/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 Iowa that costs $9.73.

Is it expensive to run a gaming PC in Iowa?

Iowa has the 24th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 16.0¢/kWh — close to the middle of the pack. Running a gaming PC here costs about $117 a year at typical use, compared with $134 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Iowa right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Iowa was 16.0¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 4.4% 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