Home Compare Chest Freezer vs Mini Fridge: Which Costs More to Run? (2026)
Per litre of storage, a chest freezer is far more efficient than a mini fridge. A 200 litre chest freezer and a 50 litre mini fridge often use similar electricity, even though the freezer holds four times as much and keeps it far colder. If you want extra cold storage, the freezer is the better value.
At the hours shown, Chest Freezer costs about
$53.55 a year and Mini Fridge about
$42.84 in the US .
Electricity price region United States (average) – 18.3¢/kWh Canada (average) – 14.0¢/kWh United Kingdom – 26.3p/kWh Germany – €0.370/kWh France – €0.200/kWh Australia – 35.0¢/kWh India – ₹6.00/kWh Alabama – 16.4¢/kWh Alaska – 28.2¢/kWh Arizona – 15.2¢/kWh Arkansas – 14.1¢/kWh California – 34.7¢/kWh Colorado – 17.1¢/kWh Connecticut – 24.3¢/kWh Delaware – 19.3¢/kWh District of Columbia – 24.4¢/kWh Florida – 15.1¢/kWh Georgia – 16.4¢/kWh Hawaii – 52.7¢/kWh Idaho – 14.4¢/kWh Illinois – 19.9¢/kWh Indiana – 17.5¢/kWh Iowa – 15.9¢/kWh Kansas – 15.7¢/kWh Kentucky – 14.3¢/kWh Louisiana – 13.5¢/kWh Maine – 29.6¢/kWh Maryland – 21.8¢/kWh Massachusetts – 29.6¢/kWh Michigan – 23.0¢/kWh Minnesota – 17.5¢/kWh Mississippi – 14.9¢/kWh Missouri – 16.2¢/kWh Montana – 15.1¢/kWh Nebraska – 13.2¢/kWh Nevada – 13.1¢/kWh New Hampshire – 27.0¢/kWh New Jersey – 24.9¢/kWh New Mexico – 15.1¢/kWh New York – 29.5¢/kWh North Carolina – 14.7¢/kWh North Dakota – 14.1¢/kWh Ohio – 19.2¢/kWh Oklahoma – 14.3¢/kWh Oregon – 16.3¢/kWh Pennsylvania – 21.7¢/kWh Rhode Island – 29.2¢/kWh South Carolina – 15.6¢/kWh South Dakota – 15.4¢/kWh Tennessee – 14.1¢/kWh Texas – 15.9¢/kWh Utah – 13.4¢/kWh Vermont – 24.4¢/kWh Virginia – 17.2¢/kWh Washington – 14.9¢/kWh West Virginia – 15.4¢/kWh Wisconsin – 19.6¢/kWh Wyoming – 15.2¢/kWh Quebec – 8.3¢/kWh Ontario – 15.0¢/kWh British Columbia – 12.6¢/kWh Alberta – 22.4¢/kWh Manitoba – 10.5¢/kWh Saskatchewan – 17.9¢/kWh Nova Scotia – 20.5¢/kWh New Brunswick – 16.6¢/kWh Prince Edward Island – 19.7¢/kWh Newfoundland and Labrador – 15.6¢/kWh Custom rate
Your price per kWh
Edit the hours to match your own use. Costs use the typical wattage of each appliance.
When the chest freezer makes sense You buy in bulk or freeze garden produce You have a garage or basement You want the most storage per kWh When the mini fridge makes sense You only want cold drinks within reach The space is a bedroom, office, or dorm You need a fridge, not a freezer
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