How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hair Dryer? $0.26/Hr, $1.91/Mo

1,500 W (1,000–1,500 W)Typical power draw

0.25 h/day, 30 days/monthAssumed use

0.38 kWhEnergy per day

Updated September 2026 · Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · next EIA update ~Oct 23

On this page: Calculator Table How we calculated Sources

Power draw (watts) — typical for hair dryer: 1,000–1,500 W; check your label Hours per day for a hair dryer — effective run-hours Days per month — 30 = every day Months used per year — 12 for hair dryer; seasonal loads do not run all year Quick-fill your state's EIA average rate Your rate (¢/kWh) — 17¢ = EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢)

Energy used: — per day

Cost per hour: —

Cost per day: —

Cost per month in use: —

Cost per year: —

a hair dryer: energy cost only (1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × hours × rate); fixed fees and taxes extra.

What changes if… Electricity rates move Compare it with charging an EV at home

Slider nudges the rate for a hair dryer; the URL keeps it.

## How much does it cost to run a hair dryer?

The same a hair dryer at 0.25 hours a day costs $1.35 a month at 12¢ and $5.06 at 45¢ — usage held constant, only the rate moving:

Table 1: How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hair Dryer? $0.26/Hr, $1.91/Mo
Electricity rate	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
12¢/kWh	$0.180	$0.04	$1.35	$16
15¢/kWh	$0.225	$0.06	$1.69	$21
17¢/kWh (US avg)	$0.255	$0.06	$1.91	$23
20¢/kWh	$0.300	$0.07	$2.25	$27
25¢/kWh	$0.375	$0.09	$2.81	$34
30¢/kWh	$0.450	$0.11	$3.38	$41
35¢/kWh	$0.525	$0.13	$3.94	$48
45¢/kWh	$0.675	$0.17	$5.06	$62

Typical power draw: 1,500 W (1,000–1,500 W)
Assumed use: 0.25 h/day, 30 days/month
Energy per day: 0.38 kWh
Cost per day: $0.06
Cost per month: $1.91
Cost per year: $23

Why this number

Running a hair dryer at 1,500 watts for 0.25 hours a day costs about $0.06 a day and $1.91 a month at 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢) — roughly $23 a year. The formula for a hair dryer: 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × hours × your rate per kWh. For a hair dryer your own rate changes the answer: at 12¢/kWh that month costs $1.35, at 45¢/kWh it costs $5.06.

A hair dryer rated at 1,500 watts, run 0.25 hours a day, costs about $0.06 a day — about $1.91 a month, or $23 a year — at the US average electricity rate of 17¢/kWh. That places it 32th of the 40 appliances tracked here, near the bottom. It is not where a high bill comes from, and switching it off will not rescue one.

What actually drives this number

Big wattage, tiny hours. Jackson Energy’s chart rates a 1,500 W dryer at 15 minutes a day — about 11 kWh a month — and Merced ID’s table puts a 1,000 W unit at 1 kWh per hour of use, which is the same arithmetic from the other direction. A quick six-minute dry is nearer 4 kWh a month. There is no efficiency to buy here — a dryer is a resistance heater with a fan — so run-time is the only lever.

At 1,500 W every hour of this load costs about $0.26, and no more efficient unit exists to buy — resistance heat is resistance heat at any price point. At this scale the levers are habit-sized, not equipment-sized: its closest heat-category neighbor on a monthly bill is the coffee maker at about $1.84, and the electricity cost calculator prices any wattage-and-hours pattern at your own rate.

Where this number comes from

Benchmark: 132 kWh/year — Jackson Energy’s appliance chart — details in the note above
Assumed use for a hair dryer: 0.25 h/day, 30 days/month, 12 months/year — every one of these is editable in the calculator above
Rate for a hair dryer: 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢), from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A ; the state selector above fills in yours

Putting Hair dryer in proportion

At 17¢/kWh, a hair dryer next to the rest of the bill:

Hair dryer at $1.91 a month is close to Coffee maker at $1.84, and just under LED grow light at $2.23
One hour of a hair dryer uses as much as 25 hours of a 60 W Wi-Fi router
Over a year a hair dryer comes to $23 — about 0.2 months of a $150 monthly electricity bill

For a hair dryer: making heat is where household electricity goes, but how it is made decides the bill. A resistance element — an oven, a dryer, a resistance furnace, a kettle — converts every watt into exactly one watt of heat, so a cheap appliance and an expensive one with the same rating cost the same to run and efficiency is not something you can shop for. Equipment that moves heat instead of making it, like a heat pump, delivers several units of heat per unit of electricity and breaks that rule entirely. The only levers on a resistance load are running it less, running it lower, or heating a smaller space. On this site’s own numbers, a hair dryer lands at #32 of 40 on the monthly-cost ranking, at about $1.91 for a typical month.

The formula, in full

The 1,500 W arithmetic for a hair dryer, step by step:

Watts to kilowatts. 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 = 1.50 kW.
Energy per day. 1.50 kW × 0.25 hours = 0.38 kWh.
Cost per day. 0.38 kWh × $0.17 = $0.06.
Cost per month. $0.06 × 30 days = $1.91.

For a hair dryer the two levers are run-hours (0.25 h/day here) and your rate; used this briefly, even 1,500 W costs little — which is why anything that makes heat dominate the rankings.

Other heating loads: Coffee maker ($22/yr), Microwave ($19/yr), Air fryer ($16/yr). Closest on annual cost: Wi-Fi router and modem ($22/yr), LED grow light ($27/yr). Across all other heating loads here, the priciest is Electric furnace at $119.34/mo.

The a hair dryer table above runs a fixed rate ladder (12–45¢); the state quick-fill uses July 2026 averages from EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A .

Put a hair dryer ($1.91 a month) against everything else in the electricity cost calculator , check your state’s rate , or browse all 40 appliances ; year-round high bills: solar savings calculator .

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a hair dryer per hour?

About $0.255 an hour for a hair dryer at 17¢/kWh, the EIA 2025 annual US average (July 2026 monthly: 18.31¢), for a 1,500 W unit. The calculation is 1,500 ÷ 1,000 × 1 hour × $0.17 per kWh. At 30¢/kWh the same hour costs $0.450.

How much does a hair dryer add to my monthly bill?

Roughly $1.91 a month for a hair dryer at 0.25 hours a day, 30 days a month, 17¢/kWh. That is about $23 a year if you use it that much year-round. For a hair dryer, change the 0.25-hour default to your own use — run-time moves the total as much as the 1,500 W does.

How many watts does a hair dryer use?

Typically around 1,500 W, with real units ranging from about 1,000 to 1,500 W depending on size, model and setting. The nameplate on your own unit is the figure to trust — these are typical values for planning, not a measurement of your appliance.

Why is my actual bill higher than the a hair dryer figure?

$1.91 a month is the energy cost of a hair dryer alone; your bill adds fixed connection charges, delivery fees, taxes and every other load. Add the other appliances in the index to a hair dryer for the controllable part of the bill.

How we calculated this

Worked for a hair dryer: 1,500 W ÷ 1,000 × 0.25 h × $0.17 = $0.06 a day; × 30 days = $1.91 a month; × 12 months in use = $23 a year. 1,500 W and 0.25 h are the typical figures cited for a hair dryer; 17¢ is EIA’s 2025 annual US average.

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.

Where to go next

Cost to run coffee maker — The next cheaper item on the list: $1.84 a month against a hair dryer’s $1.91.
Cost to run led grow light — The next pricier item: $2.23 a month, which puts a hair dryer in proportion.
All 40 appliances ranked by monthly cost — Hair dryer is 32 of 40; the full ranking at 17¢/kWh.
Electricity cost calculator — Any wattage and hours, not just a hair dryer — with the state quick-fill.
Find your electricity rate by ZIP — Your own utility’s average rate, sent straight into the a hair dryer calculator.