Laundry Cost Calculator
Calculate monthly laundry costs from weekly load count, electricity rate, water, and detergent price.
Returns annual total and average cost per wash cycle.
This calculator computes the true cost per laundry load, including electricity, water, detergent, fabric softener, dryer sheets, and machine wear — giving you an honest picture of one of the most frequently repeated household expenses.
The core formula is:
Cost Per Load = Electricity Cost + Water Cost + Detergent Cost + Softener Cost + Dryer Sheet Cost + Machine Depreciation
Each component is calculated as:
- Electricity = (Washer kWh + Dryer kWh) × Rate ($/kWh)
- Water = Gallons Used × Rate ($/gallon)
- Detergent = Package Price ÷ Loads Per Package
- Machine Depreciation = (Washer Price + Dryer Price) / (Expected Loads Over Lifetime)
Worked Example (US averages):
- Washer: 0.5 kWh × $0.13 = $0.065
- Dryer: 3.0 kWh × $0.13 = $0.39
- Water (front-loader, warm): 20 gal × $0.006 = $0.12
- Detergent: $18 jug ÷ 90 loads = $0.20
- Dryer sheet: $0.04
- Depreciation: ($700 + $600) ÷ 5,000 loads = $0.26
- Total per load ≈ $1.08
A household doing 8 loads/week spends about $449/year — just in operating costs, before factoring in detergent pods, stain removers, or laundromat trips.
Comparison: Laundromat average = $3.50–$5.00/load. Cold-water washing saves ~$0.30/load (skips water heating). Air-drying saves ~$0.39/load. Energy Star washers use 25% less electricity and 33% less water than standard models.