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

Home Office · South Dakota

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Laptop in South Dakota?

The short answer

In South Dakota, a laptop drawing 60W costs about $0.01 per hour — roughly $2.24 a month if it runs 8 hours a day.

South Dakota’s average residential rate was 15.4¢ per kWh in July 2026 (EIA), 16% below the US average.

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

Laptop cost by daily use in South Dakota

Cost at 15.4¢/kWh, the South Dakota average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 1.8 $0.01 $0.28 $3.37
2 hours/day 3.7 $0.02 $0.56 $6.73
4 hours/day 7.3 $0.04 $1.12 $13.46
8 hours/day 14.6 $0.07 $2.24 $26.93
12 hours/day 21.9 $0.11 $3.37 $40.39
24 hours/day 43.8 $0.22 $6.73 $80.78

South Dakota vs other states

At typical use, a laptop costs $26.93 a year in South Dakota — $57.17 less than in Hawaii and $4.64 more than in Louisiana.

South Dakota has the 18th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. South Dakota electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in South Dakota

15.4¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +5.9% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a laptop

Laptops are designed to run on batteries, so they're inherently efficient. Typical use draws 30–60W from the charger, with gaming laptops and mobile workstations reaching 100–200W under load. Even working full time on a laptop costs only a few dollars a month in most states.

  • Use battery-saver mode and lower screen brightness.
  • Unplug once charged if your laptop lacks charge-limiting features.
  • Put it to sleep instead of leaving it idle overnight.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a laptop for 24 hours in South Dakota?

Running a 60W laptop for 24 hours uses about 1.44 kWh, which costs about $0.22 at South Dakota’s average rate of 15.4¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a laptop use per month?

At 8 hours a day, a typical laptop uses about 14.6 kWh a month. In South Dakota that costs $2.24.

Is it expensive to run a laptop in South Dakota?

South Dakota has the 18th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 15.4¢/kWh — cheaper than most. Running a laptop here costs about $26.93 a year at typical use, compared with $32.08 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in South Dakota right now?

The average residential electricity rate in South Dakota was 15.4¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 5.9% from a year earlier.

Laptop costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method