How much does it cost to run a streaming stick?
EIA data · June 2026About 8.9¢ 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.
0.5 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 2–15 W. Use the figure on your own label if you have it.
A streaming device sits mid-table at #85 of 88, which means something else in the house costs more. See whether electronics or something else drives your bill.
This figure covers the hours it is switched on. What it costs while you are not using it.
How many watts a streaming device uses
Streaming sticks and small boxes draw 2–5 W while playing. Larger set-top boxes with a hard drive reach 15 W.
- Low
- 2 W
- Typical
- 4 W
- High
- 15 W
What it costs across the country
Same appliance, same usage, different electricity price. Annual cost at 4 W and the default usage above.
| State | ¢/kWh | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 52.72 | $3.08 |
| California | 34.74 | $2.03 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61 | $1.73 |
| New York | 29.49 | $1.72 |
| Ohio | 19.19 | $1.12 |
| Texas | 15.94 | 93.1¢ |
| Florida | 15.10 | 88.2¢ |
| Utah | 13.37 | 78.1¢ |
| Nebraska | 13.25 | 77.4¢ |
| Nevada | 13.11 | 76.6¢ |
Worth knowing
- A streaming stick uses roughly a tenth of what a games console draws to play the same video.
- Most never truly power down, drawing 1–3 W around the clock so they can wake on a remote press.
- This is one of the few devices where the standby draw is a meaningful share of the total, simply because the active draw is so small.
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.