How to work out how much your shower costs

How long is your average shower? Five minutes? 10, if you're having a good think?

Maybe 20 minutes if you're having a day?

Longer if you're having an Everything Shower?

My family of 5 takes around 1,800 hot showers a year and I wanted to find out how much that costs.

How much does it cost for my family of 5 to have daily showers?

All the calculations are below so you can work this cost out for yourself, too. Based on how much I pay for water and energy, in my house it comes out as roughly:

• 5-minute shower = 58c each
• 8-minute shower = 91c each
• 10-minute shower = $1.14 each
• 15-minute shower = $1.71 each
• 20-minute shower = $2.29 each

Every day, our family pays $3-$12 for showers.

That means we're spending at least $1,000 a year on hot showers, as a family. That figure would march over the $4,000 mark if we all had long showers every day.

Are these estimates in line with how much you thought your showers cost?

It's a good guide, though the pricing might work out differently in your household – here's how to get a rough idea.

Did you know?
According to the 2026 Finder Energy Report, 48% of Australians expect their energy bills to be higher in 12 months. Learn how to make your home more energy efficient and save money on your bills.

How do you calculate the average shower cost?

Step 1. Length

Pick an average shower length for your first estimate (10 minutes is an easy one).

Step 2. Use

→ Calculate water use assuming 9L per minute for newer showers; 15L per minute for older ones.

→ Calculate water use cost based on half a cent per litre. You might pay more or less, this is an average; you can check the exact amount on your Water Rates bill.

Every minute = 4.5c - 7.5c in water usage.

Step 3. Heat

→ Calculate water heating by assuming 1 kWh per 5 minutes of heating.

→ Calculate water heating cost based on a rate of 32c/kWh, the national average. You might pay more or less, this is an average. You can check the exact amount you pay for a more accurate estimate; here's how to read your energy bill.

Every minute = 6.4c in energy usage.

Step 4. Calculate

Use all of this data you've compiled to calculate your average shower cost.

You can add the 2 numbers together for 'usage' and 'heat' to get a ballpark price per minute.

Using our example numbers, it's roughly 10.9c – 13.9c per minute (or a variation, if you used your actual costs).

Multiply this number by your estimated shower length.

Eg. 10.9c x 10 minutes = $1.09.

You can run this calculation again and again for different time lengths.

For instance, an 8 minute shower @ 10.9c is 87.2 cents. A 20-minute shower is $2.18, and so on.

How did I calculate our family's average shower cost?

As promised, here's all the boring maths I used when I was calculating my family's own shower costs at the beginning of this article. These are the assumptions I used:

• Showerhead that uses 9 litres per minute
• Water usage at 0.5c per litre
• Total water cost = 4.5c per minute
• Electricity cost of 33c per kWh
• Water heated from 20°C to 40°C

For those of you who love to go deep into the weeds

Here's even more information about the calculations and assumptions I used to collate my estimates.

• Government stats show that newer, more energy-efficient showerheads like mine use 4.5-9L/min (older showerheads can use considerably more). I used a rate of 9L/min.
• I pay around $5/kL for water usage. This equals roughly half a cent per litre.
• I used 9L/min as the shower flow rate. At 0.5c per litre, that costs 4.5c per minute. This means a 5-minute shower uses 45 litres at a cost of 22.5c.
• The cost of heating the water depends on your electricity rate and the temperature of the water when you begin heating it. I calculated the energy required to heat water from 20°C to 40°C. Based on those assumptions, a 10-minute shower requires around 2.1 kWh of energy to heat the water, or roughly 1.05 kWh per 5 minutes.

Average energy use:

• 5-minute shower = 1.05 kWh
• 8-minute shower = 1.68 kWh
• 10-minute shower = 2.10 kWh
• 15-minute shower = 3.15 kWh
• 20-minute shower = 4.20 kWh

At 33c/kWh to heat it, this equals:

• 5 minutes = 35c
• 8 minutes = 55c
• 10 minutes = 69c
• 15 minutes = $1.04
• 20 minutes = $1.39

Then add the water cost at 9L/min and $5/kL:

• 5 minutes = 22.5c
• 8 minutes = 36c
• 10 minutes = 45c
• 15 minutes = 67.5c
• 20 minutes = 90c

So the estimated total shower cost becomes:

• 5-minute shower = 58c
• 8-minute shower = 91c
• 10-minute shower = $1.14
• 15-minute shower = $1.71
• 20-minute shower = $2.29

Note that these are estimates, not universal shower costs. The heating costs in particular can change based on the incoming water temperature, shower temperature and hot-water system efficiency. These calculations are consistent for the assumptions chosen, but your specific costs may vary.

Frequently asked questions

• How often do electricity usage rates change?

  Electricity prices usually change once a year, around 1 July, when the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) and state bodies set new reference prices.

  Most retailers adjust their rates at this time, though some may stagger changes between July and September.

  Retailers can change prices at other times too, as long as they give at least 5 days' notice. If you calculate the average cost of your shower today, it's a safe bet that you'll need to account for annual increases.

• Do shorter showers actually save you money?

  Yes, but the amount depends heavily on your showerhead, water use, water charges and whether you're heating the water with gas or electricity. A shorter shower saves money in 2 places:

  Water: less water used means lower water/sewerage costs where these are charged based on usage.
  Energy: this is usually the bigger saving. Every minute you cut means less hot water to heat.

• Are baths more expensive than showers?

  Usually, yes, a bath generally uses more water than a shower. As a rough comparison:

  • A standard bath uses around 120–150 litres when filled to a typical level.
  • A 5-minute shower with a 9 L/min showerhead uses about 45 litres.
  • A 10-minute shower uses about 90 litres.
  • A 15-minute shower uses about 135 litres.

  So, a bath can be roughly equivalent to a 13 to 17 minute shower with a 9 L/min showerhead.

  Because you're heating all that water, a full bath can cost more in energy as well as water.

Written by

Sarah Megginson

Money expert + media spokesperson

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Sarah is the author of How to Raise Rich Kids. With over 20 years of experience in property, finance and investment journalism, she is a trusted expert whose insights regularly appear across television, radio and print media, including Sunrise, Channel 7 News, Bloomberg and Yahoo! Finance. She has previously served as managing editor for Your Investment Property and Australian Broker. Her expert advice has been shared in the media over 4,000 times. Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, which complies with ASIC standards. See full bio

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