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Portable Fridge Guide

Fridge vs cooler: what does ice really cost you?

Ice is cheap per bag and expensive per year. Enter how you travel and we'll compare a cooler's running costs with a 12V fridge's price, and show how many trips it takes to break even.

The math

  • Cooler cost per year = trips × days × bags per day × price per bag, plus trips × food lost per trip.
  • Extra up-front cost = fridge price + any battery or solar − the cooler you'd otherwise buy.
  • Payback = extra up-front cost ÷ cooler cost per year (shown in years and trips).

We leave out the electricity a fridge uses, because a typical 12V fridge needs well under half a kilowatt-hour a day and is usually charged from the car or solar. "Food lost" covers soggy, melted or warm food you throw away and the drink space ice takes up; put 0 if you never lose anything. For the non-money reasons (no melt water, real freezing, no ice runs), read 12V fridge vs cooler.

A worked example

Take the defaults: 8 trips a year of 3 days each, 1 bag of ice a day at $4, and $10 of food lost per trip. Ice costs 8 × 3 × 1 × $4 = $96 and lost food 8 × $10 = $80, so a cooler costs about $176 a year to run.

A $500 fridge instead of a $60 cooler is $440 more up front. $440 ÷ $176 ≈ 2.5 years, or about 20 trips. If you also buy a $300 battery to run it overnight, payback stretches to about 4.2 years. Someone taking 20 trips a year pays back in about a year; someone who camps twice a year may never break even on money alone. These are illustrative numbers — use your own receipts.

Frequently asked questions

Is a 12V fridge cheaper than a cooler in the long run?
If you camp or road-trip often, usually yes. A cooler costs little up front but needs fresh ice every day or two and loses some food to melt water. A $400–$900 fridge has no ice cost; it pays back fastest for people who take many multi-day trips a year.
How much ice does a cooler use per day?
It depends on the cooler, the weather and how often you open it. Many campers buy a bag or two a day in summer with a standard cooler; high-end rotomolded coolers can stretch that. Enter your own number — your receipts are the best guide.
Does running a 12V fridge cost much in electricity?
Very little. A typical fridge uses roughly 200–400 Wh a day in warm weather, under half a kilowatt-hour. Charged from the car while driving or from solar, the direct cost is close to zero; the real cost is any battery or solar you buy to run it off-grid.