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How much does it cost to run a dehumidifier?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour (June 2026), running a dehumidifier costs about $99.04 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 13.11¢ to 52.72¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 5.5¢
- Per day of use
- 66.0¢
- Per month
- $8.25
- Per year
- $99.04
Assumption: 500 W at a 60% duty cycle, 12 hours a day, 150 days a year — 540 kWh a year. A 50-pint basement unit. Runtime is driven by humidity, not by a clock, so a damp basement can push the duty cycle near 1.0.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 13.11¢ | $5.90 | $70.79 |
| Nebraska | 13.25¢ | $5.96 | $71.55 |
| Utah | 13.37¢ | $6.02 | $72.20 |
| Louisiana | 13.49¢ | $6.07 | $72.85 |
| Tennessee | 14.07¢ | $6.33 | $75.98 |
| North Dakota | 14.12¢ | $6.35 | $76.25 |
| Arkansas | 14.12¢ | $6.35 | $76.25 |
| Kentucky | 14.26¢ | $6.42 | $77.00 |
| Oklahoma | 14.33¢ | $6.45 | $77.38 |
| Idaho | 14.37¢ | $6.47 | $77.60 |
| North Carolina | 14.74¢ | $6.63 | $79.60 |
| Mississippi | 14.88¢ | $6.70 | $80.35 |
| Washington | 14.91¢ | $6.71 | $80.51 |
| New Mexico | 15.06¢ | $6.78 | $81.32 |
| Florida | 15.10¢ | $6.79 | $81.54 |
| Montana | 15.14¢ | $6.81 | $81.76 |
| Arizona | 15.18¢ | $6.83 | $81.97 |
| Wyoming | 15.24¢ | $6.86 | $82.30 |
| South Dakota | 15.36¢ | $6.91 | $82.94 |
| West Virginia | 15.45¢ | $6.95 | $83.43 |
| South Carolina | 15.55¢ | $7.00 | $83.97 |
| Kansas | 15.71¢ | $7.07 | $84.83 |
| Iowa | 15.93¢ | $7.17 | $86.02 |
| Texas | 15.94¢ | $7.17 | $86.08 |
| Missouri | 16.22¢ | $7.30 | $87.59 |
| Oregon | 16.32¢ | $7.34 | $88.13 |
| Georgia | 16.36¢ | $7.36 | $88.34 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $7.38 | $88.56 |
| Colorado | 17.13¢ | $7.71 | $92.50 |
| Virginia | 17.22¢ | $7.75 | $92.99 |
| Indiana | 17.51¢ | $7.88 | $94.55 |
| Minnesota | 17.52¢ | $7.88 | $94.61 |
| Ohio | 19.19¢ | $8.64 | $104 |
| Delaware | 19.29¢ | $8.68 | $104 |
| Wisconsin | 19.56¢ | $8.80 | $106 |
| Illinois | 19.89¢ | $8.95 | $107 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.73¢ | $9.78 | $117 |
| Maryland | 21.84¢ | $9.83 | $118 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $10.35 | $124 |
| Connecticut | 24.32¢ | $10.94 | $131 |
| District of Columbia | 24.39¢ | $10.98 | $132 |
| Vermont | 24.44¢ | $11.00 | $132 |
| New Jersey | 24.95¢ | $11.23 | $135 |
| New Hampshire | 27.01¢ | $12.15 | $146 |
| Alaska | 28.21¢ | $12.69 | $152 |
| Rhode Island | 29.23¢ | $13.15 | $158 |
| New York | 29.49¢ | $13.27 | $159 |
| Maine | 29.59¢ | $13.32 | $160 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61¢ | $13.32 | $160 |
| California | 34.74¢ | $15.63 | $188 |
| Hawaii | 52.72¢ | $23.72 | $285 |
Cutting the number down
- Fixing the water source — grading, gutters, a sealed crawlspace — retires the running cost entirely instead of paying it every summer.
- Setting the humidistat to 50% instead of 35% cuts runtime sharply with no comfort or mold-risk penalty.
- The heat a dehumidifier dumps into the room is a bonus in a basement and a cost upstairs in July.
Questions
- How many watts does a dehumidifier use?
- About 500 W while running, though it cycles on and off, so average draw is 300 W.
- How much does a dehumidifier cost per month?
- About $8.25 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $99.04 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $70.79 a year, versus $285 in Hawaii — a spread of $214.