Entertainment · North Carolina
How Much Does It Cost to Run a Gaming PC in North Carolina?
The short answer
Running a 500W gaming PC in North Carolina costs about $0.08 an hour. At 4 hours a day, that’s roughly $9.22 a month and $111 a year.
The estimate uses North Carolina’s average residential electricity price of 15.2¢/kWh from EIA (July 2026) — 17% below the national average.
Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated
Gaming PC cost by daily use in North Carolina
| Daily use | kWh/month | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 hour/day | 15.2 | $0.08 | $2.31 | $27.67 |
| 2 hours/day | 30.4 | $0.15 | $4.61 | $55.33 |
| 4 hours/day | 60.8 | $0.30 | $9.22 | $111 |
| 8 hours/day | 121.7 | $0.61 | $18.45 | $221 |
| 12 hours/day | 182.5 | $0.91 | $27.67 | $332 |
| 24 hours/day | 365.0 | $1.82 | $55.34 | $664 |
North Carolina vs other states
At typical use, a gaming PC costs $111 a year in North Carolina — $240 less than in Hawaii and $17.81 more than in Louisiana.
North Carolina has the 16th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. North Carolina price per kWh · all states ranked
Electricity price trend in North Carolina
15.2¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +13.4% 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 North Carolina?
Running a 500W gaming PC for 24 hours uses about 12.0 kWh, which costs about $1.82 at North Carolina’s average rate of 15.2¢/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 North Carolina that costs $9.22.
Is it expensive to run a gaming PC in North Carolina?
North Carolina has the 16th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 15.2¢/kWh — cheaper than most. Running a gaming PC here costs about $111 a year at typical use, compared with $134 at the national average rate.
What is the electricity rate in North Carolina right now?
The average residential electricity rate in North Carolina was 15.2¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 13.4% 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
Other appliances in North Carolina
Cheapest and priciest states
Comparisons
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.
- Default usage for gaming PC: 4 hours a day. Typical power 500W.
- Formulas, duty cycles and limitations: methodology. Data download: open data (CC BY 4.0).