How Bitcoin mining profit is calculated
Bitcoin produces a block roughly every 10 minutes — about 144 blocks per day. Each block pays the miner a fixed subsidy, 3.125 BTC since the April 2024 halving, plus transaction fees. Your expected share of those rewards equals your hashrate divided by the total network hashrate.
Electricity per day = power (kW) × 24 × price per kWh
Profit per day = BTC per day × BTC price − electricity per day
The three numbers that matter most
Electricity price is the biggest variable you control. Modern ASICs use around 15–20 joules per terahash, so a 3.5 kW machine burns about 84 kWh a day. At $0.06/kWh that is about $5 a day; at $0.15 it is about $12.60. Network hashrate keeps rising as new machines come online, which steadily reduces your share. Bitcoin price moves revenue up or down overnight.
Break-even figures
The break-even electricity price is the most you can pay per kWh before mining stops being profitable at today's price and difficulty. The break-even BTC price is the Bitcoin price at which your revenue just covers electricity. Hardware payback divides the machine cost by daily profit and assumes today's conditions stay constant, which they rarely do.
What the estimate leaves out
- Future difficulty increases and the next halving, expected around 2028.
- Cooling, hosting, maintenance, downtime and import costs.
- Pool payout method differences (FPPS vs PPLNS).
Frequently asked questions
Is Bitcoin mining still profitable in 2026?
It can be with an efficient ASIC and cheap electricity, typically below about $0.06–0.08 per kWh. With household electricity at $0.15 or more, most machines lose money. Run your own numbers above.
How much electricity does an Antminer use?
Current-generation Antminers draw roughly 3,000–3,700 watts, which is about 72–89 kWh per day running continuously.
Can I mine Bitcoin with a GPU or laptop?
Not profitably. Bitcoin mining is dominated by ASICs, and a GPU's share of the network is so small that electricity costs far exceed rewards.
Why does the result change every day?
Bitcoin price, network hashrate and transaction fees all change constantly. The calculator loads live values so the estimate reflects current conditions.