Home Compare Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) vs Streaming Stick or Box: Which Costs More to Run? (2026)
For watching video, the streaming stick uses 15 to 25 times less electricity than a console. A console draws 50 to 70 watts to stream a film that a stick plays at 3 watts. If your console is your main streaming device, adding a stick pays for itself in a year or two in many regions.
At the hours shown, Gaming Console (PS5, Xbox) costs about
$36.15 a year and Streaming Stick or Box about
$1.07 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 gaming console (ps5, xbox) makes sense You are playing games You want one remote and one device The console is already on When the streaming stick or box makes sense You are streaming video or music The TV is on for hours a day as background You want the lowest standby draw
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