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

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

The short answer

A typical 500W gaming PC costs about $0.09 per hour to run in Minnesota, or $10.62 a month at 4 hours a day.

Minnesota’s average residential rate was 17.5¢ per kWh in July 2026 (EIA), 5% below the US average.

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

Gaming PC cost by daily use in Minnesota

Cost at 17.5¢/kWh, the Minnesota average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 15.2 $0.09 $2.65 $31.85
2 hours/day 30.4 $0.17 $5.31 $63.69
4 hours/day 60.8 $0.35 $10.62 $127
8 hours/day 121.7 $0.70 $21.23 $255
12 hours/day 182.5 $1.05 $31.85 $382
24 hours/day 365.0 $2.09 $63.70 $764

Minnesota vs other states

At typical use, a gaming PC costs $127 a year in Minnesota — $223 less than in Hawaii and $34.53 more than in Louisiana.

Minnesota has the 21st-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. electricity prices in Minnesota · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Minnesota

17.5¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +3.1% 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 Minnesota?

Running a 500W gaming PC for 24 hours uses about 12.0 kWh, which costs about $2.09 at Minnesota’s average rate of 17.5¢/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 Minnesota that costs $10.62.

Is it expensive to run a gaming PC in Minnesota?

Minnesota has the 21st-most-expensive residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 17.5¢/kWh — close to the middle of the pack. Running a gaming PC here costs about $127 a year at typical use, compared with $134 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Minnesota right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Minnesota was 17.5¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 3.1% 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