How Much Does It Cost to Run a Slow Cooker?
About $0.26 for a full 8-hour cook — less than a quarter. A typical slow cooker draws just 200W on Low, so even an all-day cook uses only 1.6 kWh at the 2024 US average rate of $0.16/kWh. The wattage is tiny; the long hours are what add up, and even they barely do.
Want your exact number? Enter your wattage, cook time, and local rate on the slow cooker calculator (pre-loaded at 200W), or see how it stacks up against the oven it usually replaces.
The Formula
Cost per cook = (watts ÷ 1,000) × hours running × price per kWh
A slow cooker's draw is small — usually 200 watts on Low and 300 watts on High. That nameplate figure is the maximum: once the pot reaches temperature the element cycles on and off, so the average over a full cook is a little lower.
Worked example (200W for 8 hours at $0.16/kWh): 0.2 kW × 8 h = 1.6kWh × $0.16 = $0.26 per cook. Use it twice a week and that's about $27 a year.
Cost by Setting and Cook Length
How long the cooker runs is what moves the number, but the setting matters too — High draws about half again as much power as Low. Both columns are at $0.16/kWh.
| Cook length | Low (200W) | High (300W) |
|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | $0.130.80 kWh | $0.191.20 kWh |
| 6 hours | $0.191.20 kWh | $0.291.80 kWh |
| 8 hours (typical all-day cook) | $0.261.60 kWh | $0.382.40 kWh |
| 10 hours | $0.322.00 kWh | $0.483.00 kWh |
Low and High reach the same simmering temperature — High just gets there sooner — so a dish takes a similar total amount of energy either way. Pick Low because it lets you leave the house, not to shave pennies.
Slow Cooker vs Oven: Same Pot of Stew
This is the comparison most people are really after. An electric oven's nameplate draw is about 2,500W, but it cycles on and off to hold temperature, so the table below credits it with a conservative ~1,250W average once it's hot. Even so, the slow cooker wins comfortably.
| Method | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Slow cooker — Low8 hours, all-day cook | 1.60 kWh | $0.26 |
| Slow cooker — High4 hours | 1.20 kWh | $0.19 |
| Electric oven — braise3 hours at ~1,250W average | 3.75 kWh | $0.60 |
| Electric oven — full day8 hours, matched to the slow cook | 10.00 kWh | $1.60 |
The oven's wattage is more than ten times the slow cooker's, and that gap dwarfs any saving from finishing faster. Match the oven to the slow cooker's all-day time and it costs roughly six times as much. For a quick 30-minute roast the two are closer — but a slow cooker was never the tool for that job. An air fryer or toaster oven is the cheaper pick for small, fast meals.
Yearly Cost by How Often You Use It
Yearly cost of an 8-hour Low cook (1.6 kWh each), across common US electricity rates. Find your state on the rates page to pick the right row.
| Rate ($/kWh) | Once a week | Twice a week | Three times a week | Every day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.10 | $8 | $17 | $25 | $58 |
| $0.13 | $11 | $22 | $32 | $76 |
| $0.16 (US avg) | $13 | $27 | $40 | $93 |
| $0.22 | $18 | $37 | $55 | $128 |
| $0.33 | $27 | $55 | $82 | $193 |
Even an all-day cook every single day of the year, in the highest-rate column, stays under $200 — and most people slow-cook once or twice a week, which keeps it in single digits.
What Drives the Cost
Hours, not watts
A slow cooker's whole design is low power over long time. At 200W it draws less than a bright incandescent bulb, so even a ten-hour cook barely registers. The number that moves your bill is how many hours it runs, not the modest wattage.
The setting you choose
High draws about half again as much as Low per hour, but reaches the same temperature faster — so over a full recipe the two roughly even out. The setting is a convenience choice far more than a cost one.
What you're replacing
The real saving isn't the slow cooker's own tiny cost — it's the 2,500W oven it keeps switched off. Swapping an all-day oven braise for the slow cooker is where the dollars actually turn up on the bill.
Your electricity rate
The same cook costs three times as much in Hawaii (~$0.40/kWh) as in a low-rate state (~$0.11/kWh). It's still pennies per meal, but the rate is the one variable that shifts every appliance on your bill — check your state's average rate before trusting any single number.
How to Lower the Cost
Use it instead of the oven
This is the biggest lever by far. Every all-day braise moved from the 2,500W oven to the 200W cooker cuts that meal's energy to a fraction.
Keep the lid on
Each peek lets out heat the low-wattage element then has to rebuild, which lengthens the cook. A glass lid lets you check without lifting it.
Match the time to the recipe
Since cost is watts times hours, a timer or programmable model that stops at the recipe time keeps a 6-hour cook from quietly running for ten.
Don't sweat Low vs High
They land on similar total energy. Choose the setting that fits your schedule — the money difference between them is negligible.
Recommended picks
Get the Most Out of an Already-Cheap Cook
A slow cooker is one of the least expensive ways to make a hot meal — the only waste is running it longer or hotter than the recipe needs. These picks keep the hours in check and the heat in the pot.
Programmable Slow Cooker
Auto-switch to keep-warm
A slow cooker is already one of the cheapest ways to cook — the only waste is leaving it on high longer than the recipe needs. A programmable model drops to a low keep-warm draw the moment cooking finishes.
Slow Cooker with Timer
Set the hours, walk away
Cost is watts times hours, and the hours are the part you control. A built-in timer stops the cook on schedule so a 6-hour recipe doesn't quietly run for ten.
Glass Lid Slow Cooker
Keep the heat in
Every time the lid comes off, the low-wattage element has to work back up to temperature. A heavy, tight-fitting glass lid lets you check the pot without bleeding heat.
Smart Plug Energy Monitor
Measure the real draw
Nameplate watts are the high-setting maximum, and the element cycles on and off once it reaches temperature. A plug-in meter shows what your cooker actually pulls over a full cook.
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Related Guides
Slow Cooker Calculator
Prefilled at 200W — enter your own cook time and rate
Cost to Run an Air Fryer
High watts, short time — the cheap pick for quick meals
Cost to Run a Toaster Oven
The other way to skip the full-size oven for small meals
Electric Oven Cost
The 2,500W appliance a slow cooker keeps switched off
Cost to Run a Dishwasher
Per-cycle cost by type and rate, plus how to skip heated dry
Most Efficient Appliances
See which appliances cost the most to run
Electricity Rates by State
Find your state's average rate
How to Save on Energy Bills
Practical tips by room with savings
Frequently Asked Questions
How much electricity does a slow cooker use?
A slow cooker draws about 200 watts on Low and 300 watts on High — less power than a single bright light bulb per hour. An 8-hour cook on Low uses roughly 1.6 kWh, which is about $0.26 at the 2024 US average rate of $0.16/kWh. The wattage is tiny; it's the long hours that build up the total, and even then a full day of cooking costs about a quarter.
Is a slow cooker cheaper than an oven?
Yes, for the long, low cooking it's built for. A slow cooker's 200W element draws only a fraction of an electric oven's 2,500W. Even allowing for the oven cycling down to roughly 1,250W once it's at temperature, a 3-hour oven braise uses about 3.8 kWh ($0.60) against 1.6 kWh ($0.26) for a full 8-hour slow cook. Run the oven the whole day to match the slow cooker's time and it climbs to about $1.60 — roughly six times the cost. For a quick 30-minute roast the gap narrows, but nobody uses a slow cooker for those.
How much does a slow cooker cost per meal?
About $0.26 for a typical 8-hour cook on Low at the US average rate — a few cents more in a high-rate state, a few cents less in a cheap one. Cooking on High for 4 hours instead lands near $0.19. Either way it's one of the cheapest hot meals you can make, and it's completely hands-off.
Does the Low or High setting use less electricity?
Per hour, Low draws about a third less power than High. But the two settings reach the same simmering temperature — High just gets there faster — so a dish finished in 4 hours on High and 8 hours on Low use a similar amount of energy overall. The real reason to pick Low is convenience: it holds a gentle heat all day so you can leave the house, not to save money.
How much does leaving a slow cooker on all day cost?
Very little. The element only draws 200W on Low and cycles on and off once the pot is at temperature, so ten hours of cooking is still only about $0.32. That is the whole point of the appliance — long, unattended cooking for the price of a couple of light bulbs.
How is the cost calculated?
The formula is (watts ÷ 1,000) × hours running × your price per kWh. For a 200W cooker that's 0.2 kW × 8 h × $0.16 = $0.26 for an all-day cook. Enter your own wattage, cook time, and local rate on the calculator to get your exact number.