How to Calculate Bitcoin Mining OPEX in 2026
When mining Bitcoin, tracking your Operational Expenditure (OPEX) is the most critical metric for survival, especially after the halving. Many miners fail simply because they miscalculate their exact daily running costs and are forced to sell Bitcoin at the worst possible times.
In this guide, we'll break down exactly how you should calculate your Bitcoin mining OPEX in 2026.
1. The Core Calculation: Electricity
Electricity is by far your largest ongoing expense. To calculate your daily power cost, you need two metrics:
- Your total power draw in Watts (W)
- Your electricity rate in dollars per kilowatt-hour ($/kWh)
The Formula:
(Total Watts * 24) / 1000 = Daily kWh
Daily kWh * $/kWh = Daily Electricity Cost
For example, a single Antminer S19j Pro (100 TH/s) pulls about 3,000 Watts. Over 24 hours, that is 72 kWh. If your electricity rate is $0.06/kWh, your daily OPEX for just that machine is $4.32.
2. Factoring in Hosting Fees
If you don't mine at home, you are likely paying a hosting facility. Hosting facilities usually charge in one of two ways:
- All-in Rate: A flat $/kWh fee that includes the electricity, space, and internet (e.g., $0.075/kWh). If you have this, you just use the formula above with this higher rate.
- Fixed Monthly Fee + Electricity: A set fee per machine per month, plus pass-through electricity costs. You must divide this monthly fee by 30.4 (average days in a month) and add it to your daily electricity cost.
3. Maintenance and Uptime Losses
No machine runs 100% of the time. Dust, heat, and network outages will cause minor downtime. Furthermore, fans break and hashboards degrade. A safe financial modeling practice in 2026 is to add a 5% buffer to your calculated OPEX to account for maintenance and uptime loss.
Automating the Calculation
Instead of running spreadsheets every day, smart miners use dynamic tools. The BTC Sell Advisor Calculator allows you to input your exact Hashrate, Power, and Electricity Cost. It doesn't just calculate your OPEX; it cross-references it with live Bitcoin network difficulty to tell you exactly what fraction of a Bitcoin you need to sell today to break even, allowing you to HODL the maximum amount possible.