What electricity price do I need to mine Monero profitably?

You need an electricity price below your mining setup’s break-even rate: the price per unit of electricity where your mining income exactly covers your power bill. There is no single profitable rate for Monero—it depends on your device’s power use, its mining speed, and the value of the XMR you actually receive.

Calculate your electricity price limit

Electricity is usually billed in kilowatt-hours (kWh). One kWh means using 1,000 watts of power for one hour.

To find your maximum electricity price:

• Daily electricity use: mining power in watts ÷ 1,000 × hours mined per day.
• Break-even electricity price: daily mining revenue after fees ÷ daily electricity use in kWh.

Use the same currency for your mining revenue and electricity bill.

Here is a made-up example, not an earnings estimate. Suppose your setup uses 100 watts, runs for 24 hours, and earns $0.30 per day after mining fees:

• Electricity use: 100 ÷ 1,000 × 24 = 2.4 kWh per day.
• Break-even rate: $0.30 ÷ 2.4 = $0.125 per kWh.

In that example, electricity below 12.5 cents per kWh leaves something after power costs. Above that, you lose money on electricity alone. At exactly that rate, nothing remains for equipment costs.

Measure the power you actually pay for

Use a plug-in electricity meter if you can. A processor’s advertised wattage is not the same as your computer’s total electricity use.

Which measurement should you use?

• A computer running only to mine: count its full power use at the wall.
• A computer that would already be running: you can estimate the extra electricity caused by mining by comparing power use with mining on and off.
• A computer kept awake longer for mining: include the power used during those extra hours.

Include extra cooling costs if mining makes you run air conditioning more often.

For browser mining, measure your actual browser session. Do not substitute an earnings estimate based on dedicated mining software. Browser limits, background-tab slowdowns, and service fees can change your results substantially. Also check whether the service mines Monero directly or uses another process to pay you in XMR.

Use your real electricity rate and realistic revenue

Check your bill for the total charge that rises when you use another kWh. Include usage-based delivery charges and taxes, not just the advertised energy price. A fixed monthly charge you pay anyway generally does not belong in this calculation.

If your rate changes by time of day, calculate each period separately. Cheap overnight power might pass your threshold even when daytime power does not.

For revenue, use a live calculator with your measured hashrate, meaning your mining speed, or use actual credited earnings over a representative period. Subtract pool or service fees. Check payout minimums too: a displayed balance may not yet be withdrawable.

The bottom line

Your electricity needs to cost less than your net mining revenue divided by the kWh used to earn it. To be profitable overall, you also need enough left over to cover equipment wear and any hardware purchase.

Leave room below that threshold. Monero’s price and mining competition change, so a setup that barely covers electricity today can lose money tomorrow. Recalculate regularly rather than treating your break-even rate as permanent.