How much does it cost to run a gaming PC?
EIA data · June 2026About $8.93 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.
48.7 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 200–800 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
A gaming PC sits mid-table at #23 of 88, which means something else in the house costs more. See whether electronics or something else drives your bill.
Every figure here is priced per kilowatt-hour. What a kilowatt-hour actually is.
How many watts a gaming PC uses
A mid-range gaming desktop draws roughly 300–450 W under load. The range spans an efficient build at the low end to a high-end system with a 300 W-class graphics card at the high end. Power supply ratings are a maximum, not a draw.
- Low
- 200 W
- Typical
- 400 W
- High
- 800 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 400 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $308 |
| California | 34.74 | $203 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $173 |
| New York | 29.49 | $172 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $112 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $93.09 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $88.18 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $78.08 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $77.38 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $76.56 |
Worth knowing
- A 750 W power supply does not consume 750 W. That figure is the maximum it can deliver; actual draw depends on what the components are doing.
- Idle and desktop use draw a small fraction of gaming load — often 60–100 W — so total cost depends heavily on hours actually spent gaming.
- Capping frame rate to your monitor’s refresh rate cuts graphics-card power noticeably with no visible difference.
Other appliances
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.