Laundry Cost Calculator
Calculate laundry costs per load
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Laundry Cost Calculator helps you calculate laundry costs per load without a spreadsheet. Type Loads/Week, Washer kWh/Load and Dryer kWh/Load into Laundry Cost; each keystroke re-runs the math. Every Laundry Cost answer can be reproduced by hand. Laundry Cost works for one check or many. No sign-up is needed for Laundry Cost. The math runs on your device. Laundry Cost handles laundry cost calculator the same way as free online laundry cost calculator — one of the Everyday Life tools on CalcProMaster. Laundry Cost is designed for real people. Labels stay plain. Laundry Cost answers the next Everyday Life question you meet.
What does a load of washing cost?
The cost of a load is the energy the washer and dryer use plus water and detergent. Enter loads per week and the unit prices, and the page returns the cost per load, per week and per year — the figure that decides whether the routine is worth changing.
That is about $10.57 a month and $127 a year — and the dryer is five times the washer's energy.
The arithmetic
Weekly = loads × ((washer kWh + dryer kWh) × rate + detergent per load)
4 × ((0.5 + 2.5) × 0.12 + 0.25) = 4 × (0.36 + 0.25) = $2.44. Monthly is weekly × 52 ÷ 12.
Worked examples
4 loads, 0.5 + 2.5 kWh, $0.12, $0.25 detergent → $2.44/week
4 loads, line dried (dryer 0 kWh) → $1.24/week, roughly half
7 loads, same rates → $4.27/week
4 loads at $0.30/kWh → $4.60/week
Where the money actually goes
The dryer is the whole story. At 2.5 kWh a load it uses five times what the washer does, and it is the single appliance most worth changing behaviour on. Line or rack drying in summer and a lower temperature setting in winter typically halve the running cost without changing the wash at all. Washing at 30 °C instead of 60 °C saves a further share of the washer's already small total.
What the estimate leaves out
- Standing charge. The washer's display and standby draw, which is small but not zero.
- Water and sewerage. Often metered separately and frequently larger than the electricity cost.
- Machine depreciation. A $700 washer lasting eight years costs about $0.20 a load in capital.
- Fabric wear. Hot washes and tumble drying shorten clothing life, which is the largest hidden cost of all.
If the goal is reducing the bill, the dryer is the lever; if it is reducing total household cost, water and clothing wear matter more than the electricity.
The dryer is the expensive half: 2.5 kWh a load against 0.5 for the washer, so at $0.12 a unit it accounts for $1.20 of the $2.44 weekly total. Four loads a week costs $10.57 a month, and most of that is heat. Air-drying in summer removes roughly half the bill, and washing at 30 °C rather than 60 saves a further share. Detergent is small by comparison, at about $1 a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to do laundry each week?
About $2.44 for four loads at 12 cents a kWh with a washer at 0.5 kWh and a dryer at 2.5 kWh, including detergent.
What uses more energy, washer or dryer?
The dryer, by roughly five to one in these defaults. It is the appliance worth changing behaviour on.
How much does line drying save?
Roughly half the electricity cost — about $1.20 a week here — since the washer is only 0.5 kWh a load.
Does washing at a lower temperature help?
Yes, and it also reduces fabric wear. A 30 °C cycle uses noticeably less energy than 60 °C for most loads.
Is water included in this figure?
No. Water and sewerage are metered separately and often exceed the electricity cost of the wash.
How much does the machine itself cost per load?
A $700 washer over eight years and roughly 1,700 loads works out at about $0.20 a load in capital cost.
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