🗓 Updated August 5, 2026 · EcoBack editorial team
Short answer: the sum is watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × your unit rate. At €0.30/kWh and six hours, one load costs about €0.36 on a 200 W dehumidifier, €0.54 at 300 W and €0.90 at 500 W. A tumble dryer cycle at 2 kWh costs €0.60 at the same rate. The dehumidifier is usually cheaper, but it takes half a day rather than an hour.
Compiled from public tests & customer reviews — not tested by us. Prices vary; check the current price on Amazon. Illustrations, not product photos.
De'Longhi Pinguino PAC EX105
Strong cooling, often in the test-winner line.
Comfee MPPH-09CRN7
Affordable for small bedrooms & offices.
It draws in warm room air, cools it and returns it — the waste heat leaves through the window hose. Real cooling, not just moving air around.
What does a dehumidifier cost per load?
Drying a load indoors typically takes four to eight hours. The table below uses six hours and a rate of €0.30/kWh — substitute your own rate, because that is the only figure that applies to you.
| Machine | Power | Per hour | 6 hours (1 load) | 3 loads a week, 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small compressor unit | 200 W | 6.0 ct | €0.36 | €4.32 |
| Typical household unit | 300 W | 9.0 ct | €0.54 | €6.48 |
| Large unit / laundry mode | 500 W | 15.0 ct | €0.90 | €10.80 |
Treat these as ceilings. Almost every machine has a humidistat and cuts the compressor once the target humidity is reached, so it spends part of the run drawing far less than its rated power. Your real bill lands under the table, not over it.
Is it cheaper than a tumble dryer?
Only your own dryer can answer that, and the number is printed on its energy label: consumption per cycle in kWh. Multiply it by your unit rate. At €0.30/kWh a 2 kWh cycle costs €0.60 and a 3.5 kWh cycle costs €1.05 — against the €0.36 to €0.90 above.
Then be honest about the rest of the comparison, or the number misleads you. The dryer is finished in an hour or two; the dehumidifier needs half a day and ties up a room while it works. In exchange it lowers the humidity of the whole room, so it is working against damp and mould at the same time — something the dryer does not do at all. It is not a replacement for a dryer. It is a cheap replacement for heating the room to dry washing.
Where do I find my electricity rate?
On your own bill or in your supplier's app, as the unit rate per kWh. That is the only figure that decides your cost, and it varies a lot by country and by tariff — a fixed contract, a standard variable one and a time-of-use tariff can be far apart. The €0.30 used above is a round number to make the arithmetic checkable, not a claim about what you pay. Substitute your own rate and the table still works, whatever your currency.
The humidity rule that matters more than the cost
A spun load still holds one to two litres of water, and every drop of it ends up in the room air. In a small closed room that is enough to push relative humidity past 70 per cent, and above roughly 60 per cent at a cool wall surface mould starts to grow. So the point of the dehumidifier is not only speed — it is that the water leaves in the tank instead of ending up behind the wardrobe.
- Dry in one room with the door shut, not spread through the flat.
- Avoid the bedroom: it is cooler, and overnight breathing adds more moisture.
- Put a cheap hygrometer in the room. Under 60 per cent is the target.
- Spin at a high speed first — less water in the load means less water in your air.
Looking at machines? Check the rated power in watts on the label and the tank size — those two numbers decide running cost and how often you empty it.
Dehumidifiers with laundry mode → Indoor hygrometers →Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to dry clothes with a dehumidifier?
At 0.30 EUR per kWh and six hours of running time, one load costs about 0.36 EUR on a 200 W unit, 0.54 EUR on a 300 W unit and 0.90 EUR on a 500 W unit. Those are upper limits, because the humidistat switches the compressor off once the target humidity is reached, so the machine rarely draws full power the whole time.
Is a dehumidifier cheaper than a tumble dryer?
It depends on your dryer, and the number you need is on its energy label: consumption per cycle in kWh. Multiply that by your unit rate. At 0.30 EUR per kWh a 2 kWh cycle costs 0.60 EUR and a 3.5 kWh cycle costs 1.05 EUR, against roughly 0.36 to 0.90 EUR for the dehumidifier. The dehumidifier usually wins on cost but takes half a day instead of an hour.
Does a dehumidifier replace a tumble dryer?
No. It is slower and it needs a room it can occupy for several hours. What it does that a dryer does not is pull the moisture out of the room air, so it protects the walls while it works. Treat it as a cheaper alternative to heating the room, not as a replacement for the dryer.
What humidity level should I stay under when drying laundry indoors?
Keep relative humidity under 60 per cent. A spun load still holds one to two litres of water and all of it evaporates into the room, which is enough to push a small closed room past 70 per cent. Above roughly 60 per cent at a cool wall surface, mould starts to grow.