How is the running cost calculated?

Watts ÷ 1,000 × the electricity rate gives cost per hour: $0.43 at 1,300 W on the NSW rate; the yearly figure uses 0.25 h/day, 365 days a year at 1,300 W.

How much does it cost to run a microwave? (2026–27)

At typical draw · official state tariffs

$0.36–$0.54 per hour at 1,300 W

Typical household use (0.25 h/day, 365 days a year at 1,300 W) runs $33–$50 a year depending on your state's tariff.

Wattage basis: Electrical input runs ~40% above the cooking-output wattage on the door: a 900–1,000 W-output unit draws ~1,300 W input (study of 203 models, ~71% efficiency).

Microwave running cost by state and model, at 0.25 h a day for 365 days a year (2026–27 reference usage rates)
State	Model	Per hour	Per day	Per month	Per year
New South Wales33.1c/kWh · Ausgrid	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.33	$0.08	$2.52	$30
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.43	$0.11	$3.27	$39
	High (1,700 W)	$0.56	$0.14	$4.28	$51
Victoria27.5c/kWh · Jemena	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.27	$0.07	$2.09	$25
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.36	$0.09	$2.71	$33
	High (1,700 W)	$0.47	$0.12	$3.55	$43
Queensland28.0c/kWh · Energex	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.28	$0.07	$2.13	$26
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.36	$0.09	$2.76	$33
	High (1,700 W)	$0.48	$0.12	$3.61	$43
South Australia41.9c/kWh · SA Power Networks	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.42	$0.10	$3.19	$38
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.54	$0.14	$4.14	$50
	High (1,700 W)	$0.71	$0.18	$5.41	$65
Western Australia33.3c/kWh · Western Power (SWIS)	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.33	$0.08	$2.53	$30
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.43	$0.11	$3.29	$39
	High (1,700 W)	$0.57	$0.14	$4.30	$52
Tasmania28.0c/kWh · TasNetworks	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.28	$0.07	$2.12	$26
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.36	$0.09	$2.76	$33
	High (1,700 W)	$0.48	$0.12	$3.61	$43
Australian Capital Territory37.0c/kWh · Evoenergy	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.37	$0.09	$2.81	$34
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.48	$0.12	$3.65	$44
	High (1,700 W)	$0.63	$0.16	$4.77	$57
Northern Territory31.7c/kWh · Power and Water	Efficient (1,000 W)	$0.32	$0.08	$2.41	$29
	Typical (1,300 W)	$0.41	$0.10	$3.13	$38
	High (1,700 W)	$0.54	$0.13	$4.09	$49

Where a microwave costs more

South Australia is the dearest state to run one: $0.54 an hour at 1,300 W on its 41.9c/kWh rate, against $0.36 in Victoria. Over a year of typical use that gap is $17 (52.6% more).
By yearly running cost at typical use it ranks 24th of the 26 appliances costed on this site (1st costs the most): $39 a year at the NSW rate.
An efficient 1,000 W model costs $11 a year less than a typical 1,300 W one in SA at 0.25 hours a day for 365 days ($8 less in VIC); a high-draw 1,700 W model uses 1.7 times the power of the efficient one.
At the 1 July 2026 price reset, typical-use cost fell $3 in VIC (Jemena usage rate 29.7c to 27.5c/kWh) and rose $1 in WA (Western Power (SWIS) usage rate 32.4c to 33.3c/kWh).

Typical household use per year, cheapest state first (0.25 h/day, 365 days a year at 1,300 W)
Rank	State	Usage rate	Typical year	Above the cheapest
1	Victoria	27.5c	$33	—
2	Tasmania	28.0c	$33	+$1
3	Queensland	28.0c	$33	+$1
4	Northern Territory	31.7c	$38	+$5
5	New South Wales	33.1c	$39	+$7
6	Western Australia	33.3c	$39	+$7
7	Australian Capital Territory	37.0c	$44	+$11
8	South Australia	41.9c	$50	+$17

Rates by state (each state's capital-city network): NSW: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27 (DMO 8); VIC: ESC Victorian Default Offer 2026–27; QLD: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27 (DMO 8); SA: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27 (DMO 8); WA: WA Government Standard Electricity Prices 2026–27 (Synergy Home Plan A1); TAS: OTTER-approved Aurora Energy Standing Offer 2026–27 (approved 25 June 2026) — Tariff 31; ACT: ICRC retail electricity price recalibration 2026–27 (ActewAGL standing offer); NT: NT Electricity Pricing Order 2026–27 (Jacana Energy standard residential). All effective 1 July 2026.

Appliance running-cost calculator

NSW

State

Power draw (watts)

Microwave: 1,000–1,700 W typical range.

Hours per day

Days per year

10–15 min/day of actual heating in a typical household.

$0.43 per hour · $39/year at your settings

Per day (0.25 h): $0.11
Per month: $3.27
Per year (365 days): $39.31

Tariff: 33.1c/kWh — AER Default Market Offer 2026–27 (DMO 8) for the Ausgrid network, effective 1 July 2026. Wattage basis: Eco Cost Savings — microwave wattage study. Full microwave costs in NSW →

Cutting the cost

For small portions, reheating and single servings, the microwave beats the oven comfortably, because it heats the food rather than a big empty cavity. Cover dishes to trap the steam and heat evenly, and stir partway through. Its standby draw is trivial next to how you cook, so the real win is simply reaching for it instead of the oven on quick jobs.

Frequently asked questions

How is the running cost calculated?: Watts ÷ 1,000 × the electricity rate = cost per hour. A microwave drawing 1,300 W on NSW's 33.1c/kWh rate costs $0.43 an hour; the calculator below lets you change every input.
Does a higher star rating cut the cost?: Yes. The star rating compresses the power draw or energy per use, which scales these figures directly. The low–high band in the table (1,000–1,700 W) roughly spans efficient to inefficient models.

Sources — figures current as at 17 July 2026.

Costs use each state's representative-zone reference usage rate, effective 1 July 2026. 10–15 min/day of actual heating in a typical household.

How much does it cost to run a microwave? (2026–27)

Where a microwave costs more

Appliance running-cost calculator

Cutting the cost

Frequently asked questions

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