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Original Electric Cost Lab analysis

Most Expensive States for Running Central Air Conditioning

The same 3.5 kW cooling system and runtime assumption produces very different bills depending on the state electricity price.

Key finding

The highest modeled result is Hawaii at $340.96. Every row uses the same model so the price or equipment assumption is the changing variable.

Methodology

  • The model uses a 3.5 kW central-air input for eight effective hours per day and 30 days.
  • State costs use the latest residential average price stored in the Electric Cost Lab EIA dataset.
  • The result is an energy-charge comparison, not a prediction for a particular home or utility rate plan.
3.5 kW × 8 hours × 30 days × state $/kWh

Complete ranking

RankState or deviceInputModeled monthly cost
1Hawaii40.59¢/kWh$340.96
2California32.54¢/kWh$273.34
3Massachusetts30.48¢/kWh$256.03
4Rhode Island29.46¢/kWh$247.46
5Connecticut29.38¢/kWh$246.79
6Maine27.78¢/kWh$233.35
7New York26.39¢/kWh$221.68
8Alaska26.09¢/kWh$219.16
9New Hampshire24.56¢/kWh$206.30
10Vermont22.92¢/kWh$192.53
11New Jersey22.63¢/kWh$190.09
12District of Columbia21.94¢/kWh$184.30
13Michigan20.01¢/kWh$168.08
14Maryland19.48¢/kWh$163.63
15Pennsylvania19.30¢/kWh$162.12
16Wisconsin18.16¢/kWh$152.54
17Illinois17.69¢/kWh$148.60
18Delaware17.13¢/kWh$143.89
19Ohio16.96¢/kWh$142.46
20Indiana16.23¢/kWh$136.33
21Alabama16.10¢/kWh$135.24
22Colorado15.85¢/kWh$133.14
23Minnesota15.82¢/kWh$132.89
24Texas15.47¢/kWh$129.95
25West Virginia15.41¢/kWh$129.44
26Oregon15.37¢/kWh$129.11
27Arizona15.32¢/kWh$128.69
28Virginia15.28¢/kWh$128.35
29Florida15.24¢/kWh$128.02
30New Mexico15.08¢/kWh$126.67
31South Carolina14.96¢/kWh$125.66
32Georgia14.73¢/kWh$123.73
33Kansas14.56¢/kWh$122.30
34Mississippi14.03¢/kWh$117.85
35North Carolina14.02¢/kWh$117.77
36Iowa13.72¢/kWh$115.25
37Missouri13.49¢/kWh$113.32
38South Dakota13.38¢/kWh$112.39
39Wyoming13.38¢/kWh$112.39
40Kentucky13.24¢/kWh$111.22
41Tennessee13.18¢/kWh$110.71
42Nevada13.15¢/kWh$110.46
43Oklahoma13.12¢/kWh$110.21
44Washington13.11¢/kWh$110.12
45Utah13.07¢/kWh$109.79
46Montana12.98¢/kWh$109.03
47Arkansas12.84¢/kWh$107.86
48Louisiana12.57¢/kWh$105.59
49Nebraska12.34¢/kWh$103.66
50Idaho11.82¢/kWh$99.29
51North Dakota11.81¢/kWh$99.20

How to use this comparison

Use the ranking to understand relative scale, then open the linked state or appliance page and replace the assumptions with your own rate, wattage, and runtime.

Data source

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electricity Retail Sales, residential average price. Latest monthly data: 2026-05; comparison baseline: 2025 annual. Verified 2026-08-05. Monthly prices can vary seasonally and are not utility-specific rates.

View EIA data