Cost to run a microwave in New York (June 2026 rates)
At 29.49¢ per kilowatt-hour — New York's average residential price in June 2026 — running a microwave costs $32.29 a year. That is 61% more than the national average of $20.08. New York's residential rate is up 11.1% from June 2025, which moves this appliance from $29.07 to $32.29 a year.
- Per hour
- 35.4¢
- Per day of use
- 8.8¢
- Per month
- $2.69
- Per year
- $32.29
Assumption: 1,200 W, 15 minutes a day, 365 days a year — 110 kWh a year. Draw while cooking; the 1,100 W on the label is delivered power and the wall draw is a little higher. Assumes 15 minutes a day of actual use. Use the calculator to swap in the numbers from your own model.
How New York compares
New York pays 29.49¢/kWh, the 5th most expensive residential electricity of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions EIA reports. For this appliance that works out to $12.21 more a year than the typical U.S. household pays for the same use. Running the same microwave costs $14.36 a year in Nevada and $57.73 in Hawaii, so where you live changes this bill by $43.37 a year.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 28.21¢ | $2.57 | $30.89 |
| Rhode Island | 29.23¢ | $2.67 | $32.01 |
| New York | 29.49¢ | $2.69 | $32.29 |
| Maine | 29.59¢ | $2.70 | $32.40 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61¢ | $2.70 | $32.42 |
States ranked by average residential price, cheapest first. See all 51 states for a microwave.
What else costs about the same in New York
Cutting the number down
- Reheating in a microwave is close to the cheapest way to put heat into food, because nearly all of it lands in the food rather than the air.
- The clock display draws a couple of watts around the clock, which over a year is a meaningful share of a lightly used microwave's total.
Questions
- How much does a microwave cost per month in New York?
- About $2.69 a month, assuming 1,200 W, 15 minutes a day, 365 days a year at 29.49¢/kWh.
- How many kilowatt-hours does a microwave use?
- Roughly 110 kWh a year under these assumptions, or 1.20 kWh for every hour it runs.
- Is that expensive compared with other states?
- New York has the 5th most expensive average residential rate in the country, so this appliance costs more here than the U.S. average of $20.08 a year.