Is a laptop cheaper to run than a desktop?

Yes, typically by three to five times, because every component in a laptop was designed to run from a battery.

At the default usage on each page, desktop computer costs about 3.0× as much to run as laptop — $80.33 against $26.78 a year.

Why laptop wins, and when it does not

• A laptop draws roughly 50 W doing office work against a desktop's 150 W, before the desktop's separate monitor is counted.
• A desktop's power supply rating is a ceiling, not a draw — but even idling, a desktop consumes more than a laptop under load.
• For sustained heavy work the desktop may finish faster, which narrows the gap in total energy if not in draw.

What the difference is worth where you live

The 3.0× above holds at any price: both a laptop and a desktop computer scale with whatever you pay per kilowatt-hour. The money does not. Choosing laptop over desktop computer saves about $53.55 a year at the U.S. average, and $154 a year in Hawaii at 52.72¢ — against $38.28 in Nevada, the cheapest jurisdiction in the country. Swapping desktop computer for laptop is worth 4.0× as much in Hawaii as in Nevada, so what you pay per kilowatt-hour decides this more than the wattage on either label.

Both figures use each appliance’s typical wattage and default usage at the U.S. average of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour, and exclude fixed charges, taxes and time-of-use rates. Change the wattage, usage or state on either appliance’s own page to compare them on your terms, or read how to check a running-cost figure before trusting any of them.