Mac mini won't consume too much electricity, its processor is ARM based. It'll probably cost few cents a day to run.
with hetzner, the closest comparable option (16gb ram, 8 core ampere cpu) with a base model mac mini will annually cost almost 50% of the mac mini price. so cost wise, mac mini is equal to 2 years of hetzner vm. (comparing prices as of today for both, earlier mac mini used to be quite cheap).
I already have residential internet. The only downside is having to ensure uninterrupted power and internet. and also the friction of connecting remotely via ssh.
with hetzner, the closest comparable option (16gb ram, 8 core ampere cpu) with a base model mac mini will annually cost almost 50% of the mac mini price. so cost wise, mac mini is equal to 2 years of hetzner vm. (comparing prices as of today for both, earlier mac mini used to be quite cheap).
I already have residential internet. The only downside is having to ensure uninterrupted power and internet. and also the friction of connecting remotely via ssh.