Home › Appliances › Kitchen › Rice Cooker › Australia
How Much Does It Cost to Run a Rice Cooker in Australia? (2026)
A rice cooker draws full power only while bringing water to the boil, then drops to a low keep-warm setting of 30 to 60 watts. A typical cook uses well under 0.3 kWh.
A typical rice cooker (500 W) costs A$0.17 per hour, or about A$2.62 per month at 0.5 hours a day in Australia. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (300 W) | A$0.10 | A$0.052 | A$1.57 | A$19.16 |
| Typical (500 W) | A$0.17 | A$0.087 | A$2.62 | A$31.94 |
| High (1,000 W) | A$0.35 | A$0.17 | A$5.25 | A$63.87 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.5 h/day ≈ 91 kWh per year.
In Australia, with electricity at A$0.35 per kWh (source: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27, 2026-07), a typical rice cooker costs A$0.17 per hour and about A$31.94 per year at 0.5 hours a day. Each A$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 5.7 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a rice cooker
- Turn off keep-warm once the rice is done. Over several hours it can use more than the cook itself.
- Cook larger batches and refrigerate leftovers.
- Use the quick cook mode if your cooker has one.
In standby it draws about 1 W, which adds roughly 9 kWh (A$3.07) per year if it is never unplugged.
Frequently asked questions
How much electricity does a rice cooker use per batch?
About 0.2 to 0.3 kWh, less than a cent in most regions.
Is a rice cooker cheaper than the stove?
Yes. It is insulated and switches itself down, so it uses less energy than a pot on a burner.
Does keep-warm use a lot of power?
About 40 watts, so leaving it on for 8 hours uses more than cooking the rice.
Cost by region
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India