How much does electricity cost to mine Monero?
Your electricity cost to mine Monero depends on how much power your device uses, how long you mine, and your electricity rate. For example, a computer drawing 150 watts for 24 hours costs $0.54 a day at $0.15 per kilowatt-hour—but that is an example, not a prediction of your cost or earnings.
Calculate your electricity bill
Electricity is usually billed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh means using 1,000 watts of power for one hour.
Use this formula:
Electricity cost = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours mining × price per kWh
Suppose your computer draws 150 watts while mining and your electricity costs $0.15 per kWh:
- One hour: 0.15 kWh × $0.15 = $0.0225.
- One full day: 3.6 kWh × $0.15 = $0.54.
- Thirty full days: 108 kWh × $0.15 = $16.20.
If you mine for only eight hours a day, the same setup costs about $5.40 over 30 days.
Check your bill for your actual rate. Include charges that increase with electricity use, such as per-kWh delivery charges and taxes. Fixed monthly fees generally do not change because you start mining.
Measure power instead of guessing
The most useful number is your computer’s power draw at the wall, measured with a plug-in electricity meter. This includes power used by the processor, memory, fans, and power supply.
A processor’s advertised wattage is not a reliable measurement of your whole computer. Software readings may also leave out some components.
To measure your setup:
- Check its power use with mining turned off.
- Start mining and let the power reading settle.
- Record the average power draw while mining.
- For a better estimate, measure total kWh across several hours.
If you keep a computer running only to mine, count its full electricity use. If it would already be running, you can also calculate the extra cost caused by mining.
For example, going from 50 watts without mining to 150 watts while mining adds 100 watts. At $0.15 per kWh, that adds $0.36 over 24 hours.
Browser mining still uses electricity
Mining in a browser is not free just because you do not install a separate mining program. It still makes your device work and consume power.
Monero uses RandomX, a mining calculation designed to favor computer processors, or CPUs. Browser performance can vary considerably, so measure your own device rather than assuming it matches a dedicated miner.
Reducing mining intensity—the amount of processor capacity used—may lower power consumption, heat, and fan noise. However, it can also reduce mining output. You need both measurements to know whether that setting saves money per coin earned.
Compare the bill with what you earn
Your electricity bill alone cannot tell you whether mining is profitable. Compare it with the value of the XMR you actually receive after any pool or service fees.
For an estimate, use a live mining calculator with your measured mining speed, power draw, and electricity rate. Also consider extra air-conditioning use if mining heats your room.
Be cautious if a browser-mining service promises guaranteed profits or ignores electricity costs.
The bottom line
Measure your device’s power use, multiply it by your mining hours and electricity rate, and compare that cost with your actual payouts. That gives you a useful answer for your setup—not a misleading universal price.
