How much does it cost to run a rice cooker?
EIA data · June 2026About 97.6¢ 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.
5.3 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 300–1,000 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
50% duty cycle applied — it draws power for part of that time.
A rice cooker sits mid-table at #69 of 88, which means something else in the house costs more. See whether kitchen or something else drives your bill.
Published figures for this appliance disagree by a wide margin. Why other sites price a rice cooker so differently.
How many watts a rice cooker uses
A 5–10 cup rice cooker uses a 500–800 W heating plate. Small 3-cup models are near 300 W; large induction-heating models reach 1,000 W.
- Low
- 300 W
- Typical
- 700 W
- High
- 1,000 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 700 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $33.67 |
| California | 34.74 | $22.19 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $18.91 |
| New York | 29.49 | $18.84 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $12.26 |
| Texas | 15.94 | $10.18 |
| Florida | 15.10 | $9.65 |
| Utah | 13.37 | $8.54 |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | $8.46 |
| Nevada | 13.11 | $8.37 |
Worth knowing
- The element runs at full power only until the water boils off; after that the thermostat drops it to a trickle, which is how the cooker knows the rice is done.
- The keep-warm setting draws roughly 40–60 W continuously, so leaving it on all afternoon can cost more than the cooking did.
- Cooking rice in a cooker generally uses less electricity than the same rice on an electric hob, because the vessel is sealed and insulated.
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.