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

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Microwave in Texas?

The short answer

In Texas, a microwave drawing 1,100W costs about $0.17 per hour — roughly $1.33 a month if it runs 15 minutes a day.

The estimate uses Texas’s average residential electricity price of 15.9¢/kWh from EIA (July 2026) — 13% below the national average.

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

Microwave cost by daily use in Texas

Cost at 15.9¢/kWh, the Texas average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
6 minutes/day 3.3 $0.02 $0.53 $6.38
15 minutes/day 8.4 $0.04 $1.33 $15.94
30 minutes/day 16.7 $0.09 $2.66 $31.88
1 hour/day 33.5 $0.17 $5.31 $63.76
2 hours/day 66.9 $0.35 $10.63 $128
3 hours/day 100.4 $0.52 $15.94 $191

Texas vs other states

At typical use, a microwave costs $15.94 a year in Texas — $32.24 less than in Hawaii and $3.17 more than in Louisiana.

Texas has the 22nd-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Texas price per kWh · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Texas

15.9¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +3.4% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a microwave

The power rating on the front of a microwave (e.g. 900W or 1,000W) is its cooking output; the draw from the wall is higher, usually 1,000–1,500W. Because it heats food directly and runs for minutes at a time, a microwave is one of the cheapest ways to cook or reheat. Our default assumes 15 minutes a day — adjust the hours to match how you cook.

  • Reheat in the microwave instead of the oven — it can use up to 80% less energy for small portions.
  • Unplug models with clocks you don't use to avoid a few watts of standby power.
  • Cover food so it heats faster and more evenly.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a microwave for 24 hours in Texas?

Running a 1,100W microwave for 24 hours uses about 26.4 kWh, which costs about $4.19 at Texas’s average rate of 15.9¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a microwave use per month?

At 15 minutes a day, a typical microwave uses about 8.37 kWh a month. In Texas that costs $1.33.

Is it expensive to run a microwave in Texas?

Texas has the 22nd-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 15.9¢/kWh — close to the middle of the pack. Running a microwave here costs about $15.94 a year at typical use, compared with $18.38 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Texas right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Texas was 15.9¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 3.4% from a year earlier.

Does a microwave use a lot of electricity?

Its wattage is high, but it runs for so little time that a typical microwave adds only a dollar or two to a monthly bill.

Microwave costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method