How much does it cost to run a toaster oven?
About $3.45 a month on the typical usage below, at the U.S. average $0.1816/kWh. Set your own rate and usage and the figure updates instantly.
A toaster oven draws ~1,000–1,500W — cheaper than the big oven for small jobs.
Running a toaster oven at 0.6 kWh a cycle, 7 cycles a week costs about
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A toaster oven is the appliance you reach for specifically to avoid heating up the big oven, and the electricity bill backs that instinct up. At 1,000-1,500 watts it draws roughly the same power as a hair dryer or a space heater — but you're only running it in short bursts to reheat a slice of pizza or bake a small tray of fries, not for hours at a stretch. That's the whole story here: the wattage looks high on paper, but the runtime is so short (most people use one well under 30 minutes a day) that the actual monthly cost stays low.
Where people get surprised is when the toaster oven quietly becomes their everyday oven — reheating leftovers, making toast, cooking a full dinner for one — because those extra 10-minute sessions add up faster than a single big Sunday roast in the full-size oven ever would. Preheating less (toaster ovens heat up fast, so most jobs don't need it) and matching the pan size to the job are the two habits that keep this appliance as cheap as it's supposed to be.
What drives the cost of running a toaster oven
- Wattage: most toaster ovens draw 1,000-1,500W (this calculator defaults to 1,200W), squarely in space-heater territory, but only while actively heating
- Runtime per use: sessions are typically short (reheating, toasting, small bakes), which is why the default assumption here is just 0.5 hours a day — far less than a full-size oven sees
- Mode and temperature: broiling or running at higher temperatures for longer draws more power than a quick toast or warm cycle
How to cut it
- Skip preheating for short jobs (toast, reheating) — toaster ovens heat up in 1-2 minutes, far faster than a full oven, so a full preheat cycle is often wasted energy
- Use the toaster oven instead of the full-size oven whenever the job fits — you get the same result at a fraction of the wattage-hours
- Match the setting to the job: broil/high-heat functions pull more watts than the standard bake or toast setting, so use the lowest mode that gets the job done
- Batch small cooking tasks into one session instead of running short back-to-back cycles, since each start-up spends a bit of energy getting to temperature
Data basis
- Electricity price
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, June 2026 year to date, released 2026-08-26. Retrieved 2026-09-11. Average residential revenue per kWh. A benchmark average, not a utility tariff — it excludes the fixed charges, tiers, time-of-use windows, taxes and fuel adjustments on a real bill.
- Appliance energy
- A representative running power for a toaster oven, compiled from published manufacturer specifications and public appliance-energy guidance, and presented as a typical figure with the usual range shown above. It is not a measurement of your unit, and we do not claim a single primary source for it — the nameplate on your appliance, or an hour with a plug-in energy meter, beats any typical figure we can publish.
- Usage model
- Per cycle — 0.6 kWh a cycle, 7 cycles a week
- International prices
- rounded typical household tariffs for each market, in that market's own currency unless the row says US$ equivalent. These are planning benchmarks with no single primary source; enter the per-kWh price from your own bill for an accurate figure.
- Last reviewed
- 20 August 2026. Next scheduled review 20 February 2027.
- Corrections
- Think a figure is wrong? Tell us at corrections@watt-dollar.com and see our corrections policy.
Common questions
How much does it cost to run a toaster oven per month?
On the assumption shown above — 0.6 kWh a cycle, 7 cycles a week — a toaster oven costs about $3.45 a month, or $41.36 a year, at $0.1816/kWh. That price is the U.S. average; set your own rate and usage above and the figure updates.
How is that worked out?
Energy per cycle x cycles per week, plus any standby draw between cycles. At 0.6 kWh a cycle, 7 cycles a week that is 0.62 kWh a day, which at $0.1816/kWh costs $0.11 a day.
How can I cut the cost of running a toaster oven?
Skip preheating for short jobs (toast, reheating) — toaster ovens heat up in 1-2 minutes, far faster than a full oven, so a full preheat cycle is often wasted energy As a worked example: running 5.6 cycles a week instead of 7 takes it from $41.36 to $33.41 a year, about $7.95 less.
Is a toaster oven cheaper to run than a full-size oven?
Yes, for small jobs. A toaster oven's smaller cavity heats up faster and holds less air, so it uses less energy than a full-size oven to cook the same small item — that's true even though its wattage (1,000-1,500W) isn't dramatically lower than an oven's. The savings come from shorter preheat and cook times, not a lower wattage rating.
Does toasting bread cost less than a full bake or broil cycle?
Yes. Toasting runs the heating elements for just a few minutes at a fixed setting, while baking or broiling holds the oven at temperature for much longer. A few minutes of toasting costs a fraction of a cent; a 20-30 minute bake at 1,200W adds up to real (if still modest) money over a month.