How much does it cost to run a sauna?
EIA data · June 2026About $20.08 a month at the U.S. average price of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour — but that figure moves a long way depending on where you live. Set your state below.
109.5 kWh a month at the U.S. average, 18.34¢/kWh for June 2026. Excludes fixed charges, taxes and time-of-use rates, which vary by utility and are on your bill.
Typical 1,500–9,000 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
60% duty cycle applied — it draws power for part of that time.
An electric sauna sits mid-table at #16 of 88, which means something else in the house costs more. See whether water & outdoor or something else drives your bill.
Published figures for this appliance disagree by a wide margin. Why other sites price an electric sauna so differently.
How many watts an electric sauna uses
Traditional sauna heaters are sized at roughly 1 kW per 45 cubic feet of room, so a small home sauna uses a 4,500–6,000 W heater on a 240-volt circuit. Plug-in infrared cabins sit at the bottom of the range, near 1,500 W.
- Low
- 1,500 W
- Typical
- 6,000 W
- High
- 9,000 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 6,000 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $693 |
| California | 34.74 | $456 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $389 |
| New York | 29.49 | $387 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $252 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $209 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $198 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $176 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $174 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $172 |
Worth knowing
- Heat-up is the expensive part. The element runs at full draw for 30–45 minutes to reach temperature, then cycles to hold it.
- Infrared cabins heat the body rather than the air, so they run at a fraction of the wattage and need almost no warm-up — a genuinely different cost profile despite the shared name.
- Sessions are short. Even at 6,000 W, an hour twice a week is a modest annual figure compared with continuously running appliances.
Other appliances
- Electric water heater
- Electric vehicle charging
- Hot tub
- Pool pump
- Well pump
- Sump pump
- Water softener
- Heated floor
Prices are statewide residential averages for June 2026 from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. They exclude fixed monthly charges, taxes and time-of-use rates. See how these figures are calculated.