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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Hair Dryer in South Carolina? (2026)
Hair dryers are among the highest-wattage appliances in the house, but they run for minutes. Ten minutes a day at 1,800 watts is about 0.3 kWh.
A typical hair dryer (1,800 W) costs $0.29 per hour, or about $1.30 per month at 0.15 hours a day in South Carolina. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (1,200 W) | $0.19 | $0.029 | $0.86 | $10.51 |
| Typical (1,800 W) | $0.29 | $0.043 | $1.30 | $15.77 |
| High (2,200 W) | $0.35 | $0.053 | $1.58 | $19.27 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.15 h/day ≈ 99 kWh per year.
One hour of a hair dryer (1.8 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 10km in an electric car
- 18hours of TV
- 40hours of a laptop
- 200hours of an LED bulb
In South Carolina, with electricity at $0.16 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical hair dryer costs $0.29 per hour and about $15.77 per year at 0.15 hours a day. That is about 11% less than the national average for the US ($1.46 per month), because electricity in South Carolina costs $0.16 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $1.00 of electricity buys roughly 3.5 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a hair dryer
- Towel dry first to cut drying time in half.
- Use a lower heat setting with high airflow.
- Keep the intake filter clean so the motor does not strain.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to use a hair dryer for 10 minutes?
About 0.3 kWh, a few cents almost anywhere.
Do hair dryers use a lot of electricity?
Per minute yes, per year no. Even daily use is under 100 kWh a year.
Is a lower wattage hair dryer cheaper to run?
It draws less but takes longer, so the total energy per dry is similar.
Cost by region
US states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming