For electricity alone, a Raspberry Pi 4 setup averaging 3–5 watts at the wall would use about 2.16–3.60 kWh in a 30-day month. Multiply that by your household’s applicable marginal electricity rate: at an illustrative ₹5 per kWh, that is ₹10.80–₹18 a month; at ₹10 per kWh, ₹21.60–₹36. These are arithmetic examples, not a national Indian tariff or a verified measurement of a Pi 4 streaming live.
Estimate the monthly electricity cost
Use the power draw of the complete setup, not just the board, and the marginal energy rate that applies to your household. The calculation is:
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Monthly kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × 24 × days
Monthly electricity cost = monthly kWh × marginal tariff (₹/kWh)
The table uses a 30-day month and shows two illustrative tariff rates. The 3 W and 5 W draws are planning scenarios, not measurements of a 24/7 YouTube stream on a Pi 4.
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| Assumed average wall draw | 30-day energy | Cost at ₹5/kWh | Cost at ₹10/kWh | 365-day energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 W | 2.16 kWh | ₹10.80 | ₹21.60 | 26.28 kWh |
| 5 W | 3.60 kWh | ₹18.00 | ₹36.00 | 43.8 kWh |
These figures cover energy only. They exclude fixed charges already on your bill. Actual bills can also reflect duties, subsidies, slabs, and other local rules.
Why there is no single cost for India
Household electricity rates vary by state, utility, customer category, slab, and applicable subsidy or duty. The Central Electricity Authority’s March 2026 tariff publication is organized by state and category; it does not provide one rate that represents every household. Use the marginal energy charge on your own bill or the applicable tariff for your connection, rather than treating ₹5 or ₹10 per kWh as a national rate. Central Electricity Authority
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A precise rupee estimate also depends on your setup’s average wall draw. Without both that measurement and your applicable rate, any exact monthly figure is only an estimate.
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The most useful measurement is average power at the wall with the equipment you actually intend to leave running. A plug-in electricity usage monitor is one way to get it; reliable existing meter data can also help. Include the Pi and power supply, storage, cooling, separately powered network equipment, and any display that stays on. Record a representative average rather than using a brief peak as though it lasted all day.
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- 2 USB 3.0 ports; 2 USB 2.0 ports.
- Raspberry Pi standard 40 pin GPIO header (fully backwards compatible with previous boards)
Raspberry Pi’s hardware documentation gives approximate current readings for different workloads, including idle and H.264 video playback. Its Pi 4 measurements date to June 2019 and were taken with Ethernet, a monitor, keyboard, and mouse; the documentation warns that USB devices and HATs can increase power use. Those figures help explain why setup details matter, but they are not a current measurement of a YouTube livestream. Raspberry Pi hardware documentation
Do not confuse power-supply capacity with consumption
Raspberry Pi recommends a 5 V, 3 A USB-C supply for the Pi 4, a capacity of 15 W. That recommendation does not mean the Pi continuously consumes 15 W. The actual electricity estimate should come from measured average wall draw, which includes power-supply losses and any other equipment in the setup. Raspberry Pi getting-started documentation
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Raspberry Pi’s 2019 thermal article reported 2.89 W at idle and 7.28 W under a worst-case synthetic workload at launch, with lower reported readings in later firmware stages. These are specific historical test results, not a guarantee for current hardware or a 24/7 live-stream workload. Raspberry Pi thermal testing article
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The cited power figures do not establish whether a Pi 4 can reliably encode or maintain your intended YouTube stream. They also do not establish stream compatibility, account eligibility, bitrate, uptime, or compliance with YouTube’s rules. Verify those operational requirements separately before relying on the device for a continuous broadcast.
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Internet service, backup power, equipment purchase or replacement, and any paid services can affect the total budget, but their costs depend on your circumstances. If you already pay for household broadband, do not count the entire existing subscription as a new stream expense. Keep one-time equipment costs separate from recurring electricity costs.
Or let it run in the cloud
If the goal is a continuously running YouTube stream rather than running hardware at home, StreamNeo is a cloud service for looping uploaded videos or playlists. Upload your video, add your YouTube stream key, and go live; your computer and home connection do not have to stay on. It supports the uploaded quality up to 4K at 60 fps for one flat price per slot, automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream, and gives each account one free day without a card. Monthly billing is $9.99 per month. Try StreamNeo.
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