Propane vs natural gas in the USA: cost per home
https://infohelper.net/home-energy/propane-vs-natural-gas · Updated 22 Oct 2026
Heating the average gas-heated home costs $1,044 a winter on propane and $528 on natural gas; propane costs more in all 38 states with a propane price.
- Propanea winter
- $1,044
- $2.553 a gallon
- Natural gasa winter
- $528
- $1.412 a therm
- Propane dearer
- 38of 38
- states with a propane price
Updated · Prices: last winter (gas Nov 2025–Mar 2026, propane Oct 2025–Mar 2026) · EIA · Average gas-heated home, new furnaces · State average, not your tariff
What each appliance costs on propane and on gas
Natural gas is cheaper for every appliance. For the same heat, propane cost 2.0 times as much as gas last winter at US prices: heating the average gas-heated home took 409 gallons of propane or 374 therms of gas, $1,044 against $528.
| Appliance | Propane | Natural gas | Propane costs more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating, a winter average gas-heated home, new furnaces; gas Nov 2025–Mar 2026 | $1,044 | $528 | $516 |
| Water heater, a year basic 40‑gallon tank, 55 gallons a day; gas 12 months to Jul 2026 | $533 | $301 | $232 |
| Clothes dryer, a year 283 loads, its electricity included; gas 12 months to Jul 2026 | $73 | $48 | $25 |
| All three, a year heating plus a year of the water heater and the dryer | $1,650 | $877 | $773 |
A stove, a range or a grill is not in the table: no open dataset says how much a typical one burns in a year. For the same heat, propane costs more there too.
The water heater and dryer figures are the ones on gas vs electric water heater and gas vs electric dryer, which also set them against electric and heat pump models. The propane machines are priced at the efficiency of the gas ones.
The average home that already heats with propane is a different home: in EIA's survey it needs less heat, burning about 390 gallons a year, and on a new furnace it would pay $830 a winter, the figure on heat pump vs gas furnace. Here both fuels heat the same home.
A gallon of propane is how many therms?
0.915 of a therm: a gallon of propane holds 91,452 BTU of heat, a therm of natural gas 100,000 BTU. So 1.09 gallons of propane give the heat of one therm.
That sets the price at which the two cost the same: on furnaces of the same efficiency (96%), a gallon of propane matches gas when it costs 0.915 times the price of a therm. At last winter's US gas price that was $1.29 a gallon; propane cost $2.553.
Gas meters count cubic feet, and bills often show CCF, a hundred cubic feet. At the US average of 1,037 BTU a cubic foot, one CCF is 1.04 therms and a therm is about 96 cubic feet.
| Propane | BTU | Natural gas therms | Natural gas cubic feet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 gallon | 91,452 | 0.915 | 88 |
| 10 gallons | 914,520 | 9.15 | 882 |
| 100 gallons | 9,145,200 | 91.5 | 8,819 |
| 500 gallons | 45,726,000 | 457.3 | 44,095 |
| 1,000 gallons | 91,452,000 | 914.5 | 88,189 |
What a million BTU costs from each fuel in every state, electricity and heating oil included, is on the fuel-price page.
Is switching from propane to gas worth it?
Where a gas main reaches the house, usually: at US prices the average gas-heated home would pay $516 less a winter for heat, and $773 less a year with its water heater and dryer on gas too. Each $1,000 the switch costs comes back in about 1.3 years.
What the switch costs, a gas line and meter and converting or replacing each appliance, no open source publishes. Set your own quote against the grid.
| Cost of switching (rows) by yearly saving (columns) | $200 | $400 | $600 | $800 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
| $2,500 | 13 | 6.3 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 |
| $5,000 | 25 | 13 | 8.3 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 3.3 |
| $7,500 | 30+ | 19 | 13 | 9.4 | 7.5 | 5.0 |
| $10,000 | 30+ | 25 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 6.7 |
| $15,000 | 30+ | 30+ | 25 | 19 | 15 | 10 |
- Bold, underlined: back within 5 years
- within 10 years
- longer
By state the heating saving runs from $203 a winter in Florida to $1,311 in New Jersey; each state's figures are in its row below.
EIA's propane price is the state's average over the heating season. A contract price, a tank rental, delivery and minimum-fill charges are not in it, so a propane bill can differ from these figures either way.
And heating oil?
Dearer than gas in all 21 states where EIA prices it; against propane it depends on the state. The same home for a winter at US prices: gas $528, propane $1,044, heating oil $1,196 (a new 87% oil furnace, oil at $4.011 a gallon).
State by state oil is cheaper than propane in 14 of the 21 states with both prices, about the same in 1 and dearer in 6. The US averages point the other way because they cover other states: EIA prices oil in only 21, and there propane is dear, a median of $3.358 a gallon against $2.553 for the US.
The average oil-heated home in EIA's survey needs more heat and pays $1,558 a winter on a new furnace (heat pump vs gas furnace). The same home on heating oil, state by state, is a column of the table below; the price of a million BTU from oil in each state is on the fuel prices by state.
Propane or natural gas in your state
Propane costs more than natural gas to heat the average gas-heated home in all 38 states with a propane price: from $203 more a winter in Florida to $1,311 in New Jersey.
EIA collects no residential propane price in 13 (12 states and DC): Alaska, Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Their rows show gas only, and the propane price at which the two cost the same: compare it with your bill. No figure is filled in.
What propane costs over gas a winter, $, average gas-heated home
- under $530 more
- $530 to $810 more
- $811 more or over
- no propane price, 13
| State | Propane $ a winter | Natural gas $ a winter | Propane costs $ more a winter | Propane $ a gallon | Gas $ a therm, winter | Propane matches gas at $ a gallon | Heating oil $ a winter | In one sentence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $902 | $392 | $510 | $3.462 | $1.646 | $1.51 | – | Alabama: the average gas-heated home pays $902 a winter on propane, $392 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.51 a gallon (it cost $3.462). |
| Alaska | – | $1,032 | – | – | $1.310 | $1.20 | – | Alaska: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $1,032 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.20 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| Arizona | – | $239 | – | – | $1.783 | $1.63 | – | Arizona: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $239 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.63 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| Arkansas | $945 | $738 | $207 | $2.342 | $2.000 | $1.83 | – | Arkansas: the average gas-heated home pays $945 a winter on propane, $738 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.83 a gallon (it cost $2.342). |
| California | – | $326 | – | – | $2.223 | $2.03 | – | California: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $326 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $2.03 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| Colorado | $1,065 | $445 | $620 | $2.223 | $1.015 | $0.93 | – | Colorado: the average gas-heated home pays $1,065 a winter on propane, $445 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.93 a gallon (it cost $2.223). |
| Connecticut | $1,704 | $689 | $1,014 | $3.828 | $1.694 | $1.55 | $1,280 | Connecticut: the average gas-heated home pays $1,704 a winter on propane, $689 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.55 a gallon (it cost $3.828). |
| Delaware | $1,321 | $548 | $772 | $3.572 | $1.622 | $1.48 | $1,194 | Delaware: the average gas-heated home pays $1,321 a winter on propane, $548 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.48 a gallon (it cost $3.572). |
| District of Columbia | – | $374 | – | – | $1.554 | $1.42 | – | District of Columbia: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $374 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.42 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| Florida | $359 | $157 | $203 | $4.667 | $2.224 | $2.03 | – | Florida: the average gas-heated home pays $359 a winter on propane, $157 on gas; propane would match gas at $2.03 a gallon (it cost $4.667). Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| Georgia | $1,037 | $492 | $545 | $3.078 | $1.597 | $1.46 | – | Georgia: the average gas-heated home pays $1,037 a winter on propane, $492 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.46 a gallon (it cost $3.078). |
| Hawaii | – | – | – | – | $6.085 | $5.56 | – | Hawaii: EIA collects no propane price here and its survey has no gas-heated home; if your propane costs more than $5.56 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| Idaho | $1,100 | $289 | $811 | $2.363 | $0.680 | $0.62 | – | Idaho: the average gas-heated home pays $1,100 a winter on propane, $289 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.62 a gallon (it cost $2.363). |
| Illinois | $1,151 | $548 | $603 | $1.905 | $0.992 | $0.91 | – | Illinois: the average gas-heated home pays $1,151 a winter on propane, $548 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.91 a gallon (it cost $1.905). |
| Indiana | $1,336 | $506 | $831 | $2.473 | $1.023 | $0.94 | $1,391 | Indiana: the average gas-heated home pays $1,336 a winter on propane, $506 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.94 a gallon (it cost $2.473). |
| Iowa | $824 | $455 | $369 | $1.591 | $0.960 | $0.88 | $1,211 | Iowa: the average gas-heated home pays $824 a winter on propane, $455 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.88 a gallon (it cost $1.591). |
| Kansas | $881 | $551 | $330 | $1.899 | $1.299 | $1.19 | – | Kansas: the average gas-heated home pays $881 a winter on propane, $551 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.19 a gallon (it cost $1.899). |
| Kentucky | $1,046 | $472 | $574 | $2.672 | $1.319 | $1.21 | $936 | Kentucky: the average gas-heated home pays $1,046 a winter on propane, $472 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.21 a gallon (it cost $2.672). |
| Louisiana | – | $252 | – | – | $1.458 | $1.33 | – | Louisiana: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $252 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.33 a gallon, gas is cheaper. Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| Maine | $1,480 | $702 | $778 | $3.294 | $1.709 | $1.56 | $1,220 | Maine: the average gas-heated home pays $1,480 a winter on propane, $702 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.56 a gallon (it cost $3.294). Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| Maryland | $1,430 | $542 | $889 | $3.585 | $1.485 | $1.36 | $1,176 | Maryland: the average gas-heated home pays $1,430 a winter on propane, $542 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.36 a gallon (it cost $3.585). Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| Massachusetts | $1,519 | $1,010 | $510 | $3.413 | $2.481 | $2.27 | $1,337 | Massachusetts: the average gas-heated home pays $1,519 a winter on propane, $1,010 on gas; propane would match gas at $2.27 a gallon (it cost $3.413). |
| Michigan | $1,498 | $604 | $894 | $2.262 | $0.998 | $0.91 | $1,630 | Michigan: the average gas-heated home pays $1,498 a winter on propane, $604 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.91 a gallon (it cost $2.262). |
| Minnesota | $1,140 | $553 | $587 | $1.951 | $1.036 | $0.95 | $1,544 | Minnesota: the average gas-heated home pays $1,140 a winter on propane, $553 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.95 a gallon (it cost $1.951). |
| Mississippi | $942 | $412 | $530 | $3.020 | $1.445 | $1.32 | – | Mississippi: the average gas-heated home pays $942 a winter on propane, $412 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.32 a gallon (it cost $3.020). |
| Missouri | $1,084 | $689 | $396 | $2.097 | $1.456 | $1.33 | – | Missouri: the average gas-heated home pays $1,084 a winter on propane, $689 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.33 a gallon (it cost $2.097). |
| Montana | $1,116 | $414 | $703 | $2.024 | $0.820 | $0.75 | – | Montana: the average gas-heated home pays $1,116 a winter on propane, $414 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.75 a gallon (it cost $2.024). |
| Nebraska | $752 | $451 | $301 | $1.606 | $1.054 | $0.96 | $997 | Nebraska: the average gas-heated home pays $752 a winter on propane, $451 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.96 a gallon (it cost $1.606). |
| Nevada | – | $198 | – | – | $0.949 | $0.87 | – | Nevada: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $198 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $0.87 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| New Hampshire | $1,437 | $676 | $761 | $3.580 | $1.842 | $1.68 | $1,140 | New Hampshire: the average gas-heated home pays $1,437 a winter on propane, $676 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.68 a gallon (it cost $3.580). |
| New Jersey | $2,003 | $692 | $1,311 | $3.628 | $1.370 | $1.25 | $1,729 | New Jersey: the average gas-heated home pays $2,003 a winter on propane, $692 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.25 a gallon (it cost $3.628). |
| New Mexico | – | $271 | – | – | $0.840 | $0.77 | – | New Mexico: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $271 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $0.77 a gallon, gas is cheaper. Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| New York | $1,485 | $627 | $858 | $3.528 | $1.629 | $1.49 | $1,317 | New York: the average gas-heated home pays $1,485 a winter on propane, $627 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.49 a gallon (it cost $3.528). |
| North Carolina | $1,093 | $450 | $643 | $3.358 | $1.512 | $1.38 | $842 | North Carolina: the average gas-heated home pays $1,093 a winter on propane, $450 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.38 a gallon (it cost $3.358). Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| North Dakota | $1,027 | $478 | $548 | $1.630 | $0.830 | $0.76 | – | North Dakota: the average gas-heated home pays $1,027 a winter on propane, $478 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.76 a gallon (it cost $1.630). |
| Ohio | $1,463 | $593 | $870 | $2.579 | $1.143 | $1.05 | $1,544 | Ohio: the average gas-heated home pays $1,463 a winter on propane, $593 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.05 a gallon (it cost $2.579). |
| Oklahoma | $863 | $383 | $480 | $2.224 | $1.078 | $0.99 | – | Oklahoma: the average gas-heated home pays $863 a winter on propane, $383 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.99 a gallon (it cost $2.224). Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| Oregon | – | $547 | – | – | $1.522 | $1.39 | – | Oregon: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $547 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.39 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| Pennsylvania | $1,528 | $674 | $854 | $2.932 | $1.413 | $1.29 | $1,416 | Pennsylvania: the average gas-heated home pays $1,528 a winter on propane, $674 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.29 a gallon (it cost $2.932). |
| Rhode Island | $2,127 | $1,090 | $1,037 | $3.629 | $2.034 | $1.86 | $1,757 | Rhode Island: the average gas-heated home pays $2,127 a winter on propane, $1,090 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.86 a gallon (it cost $3.629). |
| South Carolina | – | $360 | – | – | $1.483 | $1.36 | – | South Carolina: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $360 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.36 a gallon, gas is cheaper. Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| South Dakota | $873 | $410 | $463 | $1.790 | $0.920 | $0.84 | – | South Dakota: the average gas-heated home pays $873 a winter on propane, $410 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.84 a gallon (it cost $1.790). |
| Tennessee | $1,254 | $436 | $818 | $3.145 | $1.196 | $1.09 | – | Tennessee: the average gas-heated home pays $1,254 a winter on propane, $436 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.09 a gallon (it cost $3.145). |
| Texas | $630 | $377 | $253 | $2.939 | $1.923 | $1.76 | – | Texas: the average gas-heated home pays $630 a winter on propane, $377 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.76 a gallon (it cost $2.939). |
| Utah | $966 | $400 | $566 | $2.292 | $1.038 | $0.95 | – | Utah: the average gas-heated home pays $966 a winter on propane, $400 on gas; propane would match gas at $0.95 a gallon (it cost $2.292). |
| Vermont | $1,583 | $621 | $962 | $3.688 | $1.583 | $1.45 | $1,223 | Vermont: the average gas-heated home pays $1,583 a winter on propane, $621 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.45 a gallon (it cost $3.688). |
| Virginia | $1,389 | $577 | $812 | $3.461 | $1.571 | $1.44 | $1,134 | Virginia: the average gas-heated home pays $1,389 a winter on propane, $577 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.44 a gallon (it cost $3.461). |
| Washington | – | $523 | – | – | $1.352 | $1.24 | – | Washington: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $523 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.24 a gallon, gas is cheaper. Gas price: Nov 2024–Mar 2025; EIA withheld a month of last winter. |
| West Virginia | – | $610 | – | – | $1.221 | $1.12 | – | West Virginia: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $610 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $1.12 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
| Wisconsin | $1,038 | $543 | $495 | $1.909 | $1.092 | $1.00 | $1,312 | Wisconsin: the average gas-heated home pays $1,038 a winter on propane, $543 on gas; propane would match gas at $1.00 a gallon (it cost $1.909). |
| Wyoming | – | $536 | – | – | $1.021 | $0.93 | – | Wyoming: gas heats the average gas-heated home for $536 a winter. No EIA propane price; if your propane costs more than $0.93 a gallon, gas is cheaper. |
Tap a state's name for its propane and gas prices, the propane price that would match gas, and the same home on heating oil. Prices are state averages, not a tariff or a contract. Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Washington: EIA withheld a month of last winter's gas price, so these rows use the winter before and say so.
How these numbers are calculated
The formulas, for one home
| Heat | the survey home's gas for heating × 80% (35.9 million BTU for the US) |
|---|---|
| Natural gas | heat in BTU ÷ 100,000 ÷ 96% = therms; × $ a therm |
| Propane | heat in BTU ÷ 91,452 ÷ 96% = gallons; × $ a gallon |
| Heating oil | heat in BTU ÷ 138,500 ÷ 87% = gallons; × $ a gallon |
| Propane matches gas at | $ a therm × 0.915 |
The home is the average gas-heated household of EIA's 2020 survey in each state: the gas it burned for heating in a year, taken as heat at an 80% furnace, as on heat pump vs gas furnace. That heat is priced on new furnaces, the medians of the ENERGY STAR certified models: 96% for gas, 96% for propane, 87% for oil.
Gas for heating is last winter's average, Nov 2025–Mar 2026: the price weighted by the volume sold each month, monthly charges included; a state with a withheld month uses the winter before. Propane and heating oil are the average of EIA's weekly residential prices, Oct 2025–Mar 2026. EIA surveys them from October to March only, in 38 states for propane and 21 for oil; a state without a price gets no figure, and from April to September the page keeps the last season's average.
Assumed: the 80% furnaces behind the survey's gas use; propane appliances as efficient as the gas ones. Left out: what switching costs, tank rental, delivery and minimum-fill charges, stoves and grills, tariffs and contract prices.
Free to reuse (CC BY 4.0). Cite this page: https://infohelper.net/home-energy/propane-vs-natural-gas
Sources
- EIA: natural gas, average residential price by stateResidential price, volume and heat content by state, monthly; last winter, Nov 2025–Mar 2026, for heating (the winter before where EIA withheld a month) and 12 months to Jul 2026 for the water heater and dryer. Edition of 21 Oct 2026.
- EIA: Heating Oil and Propane UpdateWeekly residential propane and heating oil prices by state, Oct 2025–Mar 2026; EIA collects them from October to March only. Edition of 21 Oct 2026.
- EIA: Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2020, state dataTable CE5.4.ST: the natural gas an average gas-heated household burns for space heating, by state. Released Jun 2023.
- EIA: Units and calculators explainedThe heat in a therm (100,000 BTU), a gallon of propane (91,452 BTU) and a gallon of heating oil (138,500 BTU).
- ENERGY STAR: Certified Furnaces (dataset i97v-e8au)The new furnaces' efficiencies, the medians of 3,733 certified models; edition of 22 Oct 2026. The water heater and dryer figures use the ENERGY STAR datasets named on their own pages.