Clothes iron vs Electric dryer: which costs more to run? (2026)
Baseline uses U.S. average $0.180/kWh, typical wattage, and typical hours/day from our catalog. At that rate: Clothes iron ~$1.94/mo (10.8 kWh/mo) · Electric dryer ~$16.18/mo (90.0 kWh/mo).
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Estimates below use the rate you pick (defaults match your locale when possible). The summary paragraph above stays at U.S. average for SEO; see methodology for sources.
$0.180/kWh
Higher cost: Electric dryer · +733% ($14.24/mo vs Clothes iron)
Clothes iron
Lower cost- Typical watts
- 1200 W
- Hours/day
- 0.3
- Monthly est.
- $1.94
- kWh/mo
- 10.8
Electric dryer
Higher cost- Typical watts
- 3000 W
- Hours/day
- 1
- Monthly est.
- $16.18
- kWh/mo
- 90.0
Electric dryer is estimated to cost more per month at typical use.
Compare by U.S. state
State pages use local utility averages (TYPE7). Open a state for either appliance to fine-tune hours and watts.