How much does it cost to run a Wi-Fi router?
About $1.33 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 router only sips ~5–20W, but it's on 24/7/365, so it's a small forever-cost.
Running a Wi-Fi router at 10W for 24 h a day costs about
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A Wi-Fi router barely registers moment to moment — five to twenty watts — but it's the definition of an always-on device: it runs every hour of every day, all year. That turns a tiny draw into a small but permanent line on the bill.
It's not worth turning off (you'd just disconnect everything), but it's a good reminder that the real always-on cost in a home is lots of little 5–20W devices left on together: the router, modem, smart speakers, chargers and standby lights.
What drives the cost of running a Wi-Fi router
- It's the hours, not the watts — 24/7 operation is the whole cost.
- A separate modem, mesh satellites and an always-on switch each add their own small draw.
- It's representative of a home's whole 'vampire'/standby load.
How to cut it
- Don't bother switching the router off — instead, hunt down other always-on devices you don't use.
- Put truly idle electronics (a spare console, an unused printer) on a switched power strip.
- Replacing several old always-on gadgets with efficient ones beats fussing over the router.
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 Wi-Fi router, 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
- Steady load — 10W for 24 h a day
- 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 Wi-Fi router per month?
On the assumption shown above — 10W for 24 h a day — a Wi-Fi router costs about $1.33 a month, or $15.91 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?
Power drawn while running x hours run per day. At 10W for 24 h a day that is 0.24 kWh a day, which at $0.1816/kWh costs $0.04 a day.
How can I cut the cost of running a Wi-Fi router?
Don't bother switching the router off — instead, hunt down other always-on devices you don't use. As a worked example: running it 19.2 h a day instead of 24 h takes it from $15.91 to $12.73 a year, about $3.18 less.