kWh Cost Calculator
This kWh cost calculator works in either direction: cost from kWh and rate, or rate from a bill amount and usage. Work in either direction: calculate your cost from kWh and rate, or find your effective rate per kWh from a bill amount and usage. No appliance list, just the math.
Cost
Enter your kWh and rate to see your cost.
How it works
Calculate my cost: cost = kWh used × your rate per kWh. Straightforward multiplication using whatever numbers you enter.
Find my rate per kWh: effective rate = bill amount ÷ kWh used. This reverses the calculation to tell you what you're actually paying per kWh, which most calculators don't offer.
Worked examples
Calculate my cost: 900 kWh at an example rate of $0.1648/kWh comes out to about $148.32.
Find my rate per kWh: A $120 bill for 700 kWh works out to an effective rate of about 17.1 cents per kWh — use your own bill and usage figures for a real result.
Both directions on this page are exact arithmetic based on what you enter — cost = kWh × rate, and rate = bill amount ÷ kWh used. There's no estimation or external data involved in either calculation. The only researched figure on this page is the optional example-rate comparison, sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration — Electric Sales, Revenue, and Average Price, Table 4 and clearly labeled as an example, not a live figure, last checked September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between this and the Electricity Usage & Cost Calculator?
This tool is deliberately narrow: it only converts between kWh, rate, and cost, with no appliance list or home-size inputs. Use the Electricity Usage & Cost Calculator when you want to add up multiple appliances instead.
Why would I want to find my rate per kWh instead of just reading my bill?
Some bills show a total dollar amount and total kWh used without clearly breaking out the per-kWh energy rate, especially when fixed fees, delivery charges, or taxes are bundled into one number. This calculator's second mode backs into an effective rate from those two numbers.
Why is my derived rate higher than my utility's advertised energy rate?
If your bill amount includes fixed monthly fees, delivery charges, or taxes and you divide the whole bill by kWh used, the result is your blended effective rate, not your pure energy charge — it will run higher than the advertised per-kWh energy rate alone. That's expected, not an error.
Is my electricity rate the same every month?
Not necessarily. Rates can change seasonally, with fuel cost adjustments, or if you're on a variable or time-of-use plan. Recalculating from a recent bill each time gives you the most current number.
Related tools
- Estimate your whole bill instead
- Cost to charge an EV at home
- Break your usage down by appliance with the full usage & cost calculator
- What does electricity cost? — rate context for the number you just found.
- Only have a meter reading? Use two readings and your rate to calculate cost directly.
- In Texas? Get a rate broken into energy, delivery, and tax instead of one blended number.
This calculator provides estimates based on the figures you enter. The rate-lookup mode returns a blended effective rate when your bill amount includes fees or taxes, not necessarily your utility's advertised per-kWh energy charge.