How Much Does It Cost to Run a Rice Cooker in India? (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 ₹3.00 per hour, or about ₹45.00 per month at 0.5 hours a day in India. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 300 W | ₹1.80 | ₹0.90 | ₹27.00 | ₹328.50 |
| Typical 500 W | ₹3.00 | ₹1.50 | ₹45.00 | ₹547.50 |
| High 1,000 W | ₹6.00 | ₹3.00 | ₹90.00 | ₹1,095 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 0.5 h/day ≈ 91 kWh per year.
One hour of a rice cooker (0.50 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 2.8km in an electric car
- 5.0hours of TV
- 11hours of a laptop
- 56hours of an LED bulb
In India, with electricity at ₹6.00 per kWh (source: Typical urban domestic slab rate; national average ≈ ₹5.5/unit FY2025-26, 2026-04), a typical rice cooker costs ₹3.00 per hour and about ₹547.50 per year at 0.5 hours a day. Each ₹1.00 of electricity buys roughly 0.3 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 (₹52.56) 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
US states
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Canadian provinces
Related appliances
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz