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How Much Does a 24/7 YouTube Stream Cost on a Raspberry Pi 4 in India?

A 3–5 W planning scenario uses 2.16–3.60 kWh in 30 days. Multiply measured wall draw by your own marginal tariff for a household-specific cost.

By VGSources Team 4 min read
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A 24/7 Raspberry Pi 4 stream’s electricity cost depends on the complete setup’s average power draw at the wall and your household’s marginal electricity rate. As a planning example—not a verified livestream measurement—a setup averaging 3–5 W would use 2.16–3.60 kWh in 30 days. At an illustrative ₹5 per kWh, that is ₹10.80–₹18; at ₹10 per kWh, it is ₹21.60–₹36. These rates are arithmetic examples, not a single India-wide tariff.

Estimate the monthly electricity cost

Use the average wall draw of the whole setup, not the power supply’s maximum rating:

Monthly kWh = watts ÷ 1,000 × 24 × days

Monthly electricity cost = monthly kWh × marginal tariff (₹/kWh)

For a 30-day month, a 3 W average is 2.16 kWh and a 5 W average is 3.60 kWh. Multiply either figure by the marginal energy rate that applies to your household. The table shows examples at two assumed rates; neither rate is asserted to be universal.

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Assumed average wall draw Energy in 30 days Cost at illustrative ₹5/kWh Cost at illustrative ₹10/kWh Energy in 365 days
3 W 2.16 kWh ₹10.80 ₹21.60 26.28 kWh
5 W 3.60 kWh ₹18.00 ₹36.00 43.8 kWh

The arithmetic excludes fixed charges already on your bill. Your actual bill impact can also depend on slabs, duties, subsidies and local rules.

Why there is no single India-wide rupee figure

Household electricity charges in India vary by state, utility, consumer category and slab, with possible subsidy and duty effects. The Central Electricity Authority’s March 2026 tariff publication is organized by state and category; use the applicable marginal energy rate from your own bill or utility tariff rather than treating an example rate as a national price: Central Electricity Authority.

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The marginal rate matters because the stream adds energy use to your existing consumption. Do not count an existing household connection’s entire fixed bill as a new stream cost.

What the Pi 4 power figures do—and do not—tell you

Raspberry Pi recommends a 5 V, 3 A USB-C power supply for the Pi 4, a 15 W supply capacity. That is not a claim that the Pi continuously consumes 15 W. Use an appropriate supply for the model: Raspberry Pi getting-started documentation.

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Raspberry Pi’s hardware documentation gives approximate Pi 4 current readings of 0.6 A average at idle and 0.78 A average during H.264 video playback. The measurements date to June 2019 and used Ethernet plus a monitor, keyboard and mouse; the documentation cautions that USB devices and HATs can increase consumption. Those figures are not a measurement of a 24/7 YouTube livestream: Raspberry Pi hardware documentation.

A separate Raspberry Pi thermal article reported 2.89 W at idle and 7.28 W under a worst-case synthetic workload at launch in 2019, with lower readings reported after later firmware stages. These are historical, test-specific results, not a current guarantee or livestream test: Raspberry Pi thermal testing. The 3–5 W range above is therefore a transparent planning scenario, not a verified stream draw.

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Measure your own complete setup

  1. Connect everything you intend to leave running. Include the Pi and its power supply, storage, cooling, separately powered network accessories, and any display that will remain on.
  2. Measure at the wall. A plug-in electricity usage monitor is one option; reliable meter or device data can also work. Measuring the whole setup captures power-supply losses and peripherals.
  3. Record a representative average. Observe the setup over a representative period rather than using a brief peak reading as if it were the 24-hour average.
  4. Apply the formula. Convert measured average watts to monthly kWh, then multiply by the marginal ₹/kWh rate relevant to your household.

Before relying on a Pi 4 for a particular stream, verify separately that your intended streaming setup meets YouTube’s technical and account requirements. The cited power figures establish neither livestream compatibility nor encoding performance, account eligibility, bitrate or uptime.

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Budget beyond electricity

Electricity is only one part of the operating budget. Internet service, backup power, equipment purchase or replacement, and any paid services may add costs, but there is no universal amount to assign to them here. Count only the incremental cost of internet or other services if you already pay for them for household use. Keep equipment purchase costs separate from recurring electricity costs.

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To compare two setups fairly, keep stream duration and local tariff constant. Compare measured wall watts, monthly kWh, the applicable marginal rate and any incremental costs for internet, backup or equipment. A lower board draw alone does not establish a lower total cost if peripherals or backup needs differ.

Or let it run in the cloud

If your main concern is keeping a YouTube channel live without leaving a Pi or other computer running at home, StreamNeo is a cloud service for looping uploaded videos on YouTube. Upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; the uploaded video streams at its original quality up to 4K 60fps for one flat price per slot, and StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month.

Start your free StreamNeo day.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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