The Cost of Christmas Lights

Christmas lights are going up across the country, from a few strands on the porch to rooflines lined with C9 bulbs and lawns filled with inflatables. Most of those lights run for hours every night through December, which raises a fair question about what they add to the electric bill. Payless Power priced common Christmas lights and three sample displays at each state’s December 2025 residential electricity rate to find out.

The answer depends on where you live and, even more, on what kind of bulbs you hang. Texas ranks 21st at 15.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, just above the typical U.S. rate of 15.0 cents, so a full LED display costs about $16.14 to run in Texas for December, compared with $15.36 at the typical rate. The same display in incandescent lights costs $92.03 at the typical rate, $76.67 more than the LED display.

Key Takeaways

• A full Griswold-style LED display costs about $15.36 to run for December at the typical U.S. rate, while the same display with incandescent lights costs $92.03. Switching that display from incandescent to LED saves $76.67 for the month at the typical rate.
• A classic incandescent house with a C9 roofline, a pre-lit tree, and an inflatable costs $29.63, nearly twice as much as the full LED display.
• A modest LED porch display costs $1.10 at the typical rate and less than $1.00 in 16 states.
• Hawaii is the most expensive state to light up at $42.53 for the full LED display. That’s 3.8 times the cost in North Dakota ($11.25), the least expensive state.
• Texas ranks 21st at 15.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, where the full LED display costs $16.14, 78 cents more than at the typical rate.

Cost by Display Type

We priced three sample displays at the typical U.S. rate of 15.0 cents per kilowatt-hour, with the lights running six hours a night for all 31 nights of December. The modest porch uses LED lights, the classic house uses incandescent lights, and the full Griswold-style display was priced twice, once with LED lights and once with incandescent lights, using the same items.

Study Findings:

• A full display costs $15.36 to run for December with LED lights at the typical rate and $92.03 with incandescent lights, a difference of $76.67.
• A classic incandescent house costs $29.63, nearly twice as much as the full LED display, even though the LED display has three times as many C9 bulbs.
• A modest LED porch display costs $1.10 at the typical rate, less than $1.00 in 16 states, and $3.05 in Hawaii.
• In Texas, the modest porch costs $1.16, the classic house costs $31.13, and the full display costs $16.14 in LED and $96.68 in incandescent.

Cost by State

The full display costs more to run where electricity is more expensive. This table shows the monthly cost of the full display using LED and incandescent lights, running for six hours per night for 31 nights, at each state’s December 2025 residential electricity rate.

Study Findings:

• Hawaii is the most expensive place to light up the house, at $42.53 for the full LED display and $254.84 for the incandescent version.
• Rhode Island ($31.85), Massachusetts ($31.47), and Maine ($30.98) round out the five most expensive states for the full LED display. North Dakota ($11.25, Nebraska ($11.49), and Missouri ($12.02) are the cheapest.
• The full LED display costs 3.8 times as much in Hawaii as in North Dakota.
• The bulb matters more than the state. The incandescent display costs $92.03 at the typical rate, more than twice the price of the LED version in Hawaii.
• LED lights save money in every state, from $56.17 a month in North Dakota to $212.31 in Hawaii.
• Texas ranks 21st at 15.8 cents per kilowatt-hour. The full LED display costs $16.14 there, 78 cents more than at the typical rate, and the incandescent version costs $96.68.

Cost by Item

We also priced 13 common lights and decorations individually, each running for six hours per night for 31 nights at the typical U.S. rate of 15.0 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Study Findings:

• A 100-bulb incandescent C9 roofline is the priciest single item at $19.57 for the month. The same roofline in LED costs $2.80.
• A pre-lit incandescent tree costs $8.39 to run for December, while an LED tree costs 98 cents.
• A strand of LED mini lights is the cheapest item at 14 cents for the month. An incandescent strand costs $1.12.
• Incandescent icicle and net lights cost $1.71 each, compared with 17 cents for an LED icicle strand and 20 cents for an LED net.
• An inflatable costs $1.68 a month to run, and a light projector costs 17 cents.

Methodology

Payless Power estimated what it costs to run four Christmas light displays for a month in all 50 states: a modest porch, a classic incandescent house, a full display in LED, and the same full display in incandescent. Each display’s wattage was multiplied by six hours a night for 31 nights, then by each state’s December 2025 average residential electricity price from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wattages are published figures for each item, such as LED and incandescent mini strands, C9 bulbs, icicle and net lights, pre-lit trees, inflatables, and a projector. Items without a published wattage were left out. “Typical” costs use the median of the 50 state rates, 15.0 cents per kilowatt-hour. Rates were collected in November 2026 and may change.

The results are modeled estimates, not measured bills, and the District of Columbia is excluded. Actual costs vary with the number of lights, how long they run, the bulbs and models used, and each household’s electricity plan. Wattages come from typical products and will differ by brand.

About Payless Power

Payless Power is a Texas energy provider that believes in making electricity accessible to all, regardless of credit history. We offer flexible, prepaid, and traditional energy plans with competitive pricing and no credit checks, empowering Texans to take control of their energy costs.

Fair Use Statement

The data, findings, and visuals contained in this study are free to share and republish for noncommercial purposes. Please provide a link back to Payless Power so readers can access the full research and methodology.