Cold Plunge Climate & Cost IndexProvisional climate inputs clearly labeled
Annual report · Published 2026-09-17

2026 U.S. Cold Plunge Cost Index

A transparent planning comparison across 86 cities—not a survey of measured appliances.

Evidence status: 0 of 86 climate records are tied to retrieved NOAA normals. Findings involving provisional rows are hypotheses from the planning model, not verified city measurements.
Indexed-city median$179/yr

Reference scenario

Lowest referenceSeattle

$106/yr

Highest referenceHonolulu

$602/yr

What changed in model 2.0

The original index published one optimistic point estimate based on a constant 35-watt baseline, one conductance value and a fixed chiller COP. Model 2.0 publishes three setup scenarios, uses daily low/high profiles to estimate positive cooling degree-hours, reduces modeled COP in hotter conditions and includes explicit allowances for omitted loads.

The result is a planning range. It is not a statistical confidence interval and has not yet been calibrated against a large measured field dataset.

The main finding

Climate is not the only driver. A mild city can cost more than a hotter city when its state residential electricity rate is much higher. ArcticSoak therefore publishes physical energy beside dollar cost and labels the geographic resolution of both inputs.

Current comparison table

Ten lowest followed by ten highest reference estimates. Check status before quoting a city.

#CityReferenceRangeClimate
1Seattle, WA$106$56–$177provisional
2Fargo, ND$108$56–$182provisional
3Boise, ID$117$61–$201provisional
4Omaha, NE$124$64–$213provisional
5Salt Lake City, UT$127$66–$220provisional
6Sioux Falls, SD$129$67–$220provisional
7Portland, OR$136$71–$229provisional
8Des Moines, IA$136$71–$234provisional
9Lexington, KY$138$72–$239provisional
10Nashville, TN$139$72–$244provisional
11Honolulu, HI$602$302–$1,126provisional
12Bakersfield, CA$379$194–$681provisional
13Riverside, CA$375$192–$671provisional
14Fresno, CA$372$190–$665provisional
15Stockton, CA$359$185–$634provisional
16Santa Ana, CA$359$185–$630provisional
17Anaheim, CA$359$185–$630provisional
18Sacramento, CA$353$182–$620provisional
19Los Angeles, CA$351$181–$613provisional
20Long Beach, CA$351$181–$613provisional

How to cite this report

ArcticSoak. “2026 U.S. Cold Plunge Cost Index.” Model 2.0.0, dataset 2026-09-17. https://arcticsoak.com/research/2026-cold-plunge-cost-index/