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How much does it cost to run a security camera?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour (June 2026), running a security camera costs about $8.03 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 13.11¢ to 52.72¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- under 0.1¢
- Per day of use
- 2.2¢
- Per month
- 66.9¢
- Per year
- $8.03
Assumption: 5 W, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — 44 kWh a year. Per wired camera, including night-vision illuminators averaged over a day.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 13.11¢ | 47.9¢ | $5.74 |
| Nebraska | 13.25¢ | 48.4¢ | $5.80 |
| Utah | 13.37¢ | 48.8¢ | $5.86 |
| Louisiana | 13.49¢ | 49.2¢ | $5.91 |
| Tennessee | 14.07¢ | 51.4¢ | $6.16 |
| North Dakota | 14.12¢ | 51.5¢ | $6.18 |
| Arkansas | 14.12¢ | 51.5¢ | $6.18 |
| Kentucky | 14.26¢ | 52.0¢ | $6.25 |
| Oklahoma | 14.33¢ | 52.3¢ | $6.28 |
| Idaho | 14.37¢ | 52.5¢ | $6.29 |
| North Carolina | 14.74¢ | 53.8¢ | $6.46 |
| Mississippi | 14.88¢ | 54.3¢ | $6.52 |
| Washington | 14.91¢ | 54.4¢ | $6.53 |
| New Mexico | 15.06¢ | 55.0¢ | $6.60 |
| Florida | 15.10¢ | 55.1¢ | $6.61 |
| Montana | 15.14¢ | 55.3¢ | $6.63 |
| Arizona | 15.18¢ | 55.4¢ | $6.65 |
| Wyoming | 15.24¢ | 55.6¢ | $6.68 |
| South Dakota | 15.36¢ | 56.1¢ | $6.73 |
| West Virginia | 15.45¢ | 56.4¢ | $6.77 |
| South Carolina | 15.55¢ | 56.8¢ | $6.81 |
| Kansas | 15.71¢ | 57.3¢ | $6.88 |
| Iowa | 15.93¢ | 58.1¢ | $6.98 |
| Texas | 15.94¢ | 58.2¢ | $6.98 |
| Missouri | 16.22¢ | 59.2¢ | $7.10 |
| Oregon | 16.32¢ | 59.6¢ | $7.15 |
| Georgia | 16.36¢ | 59.7¢ | $7.17 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | 59.9¢ | $7.18 |
| Colorado | 17.13¢ | 62.5¢ | $7.50 |
| Virginia | 17.22¢ | 62.9¢ | $7.54 |
| Indiana | 17.51¢ | 63.9¢ | $7.67 |
| Minnesota | 17.52¢ | 63.9¢ | $7.67 |
| Ohio | 19.19¢ | 70.0¢ | $8.41 |
| Delaware | 19.29¢ | 70.4¢ | $8.45 |
| Wisconsin | 19.56¢ | 71.4¢ | $8.57 |
| Illinois | 19.89¢ | 72.6¢ | $8.71 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.73¢ | 79.3¢ | $9.52 |
| Maryland | 21.84¢ | 79.7¢ | $9.57 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | 83.9¢ | $10.07 |
| Connecticut | 24.32¢ | 88.8¢ | $10.65 |
| District of Columbia | 24.39¢ | 89.0¢ | $10.68 |
| Vermont | 24.44¢ | 89.2¢ | $10.70 |
| New Jersey | 24.95¢ | 91.1¢ | $10.93 |
| New Hampshire | 27.01¢ | 98.6¢ | $11.83 |
| Alaska | 28.21¢ | $1.03 | $12.36 |
| Rhode Island | 29.23¢ | $1.07 | $12.80 |
| New York | 29.49¢ | $1.08 | $12.92 |
| Maine | 29.59¢ | $1.08 | $12.96 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61¢ | $1.08 | $12.97 |
| California | 34.74¢ | $1.27 | $15.22 |
| Hawaii | 52.72¢ | $1.92 | $23.09 |
Cutting the number down
- Individually trivial, collectively real: eight cameras around the clock is an always-on load worth knowing about.
Questions
- How many watts does a security camera use?
- About 5 W while running.
- How much does a security camera cost per month?
- About 66.9¢ a month at the U.S. average rate, or $8.03 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $5.74 a year, versus $23.09 in Hawaii — a spread of $17.35.