Cost of Propane Per Gallon in the US
How much propane costs per gallon right now, what a full tank costs at common tank sizes, and why your local cost differs from the national number. Every figure is EIA data or a transparent gallons-times-price calculation you can check.
That is the national residential cost. State averages ran from $1.642 (Nebraska) to $4.706 (Florida) in the same survey. To turn the per-gallon cost into a dollar figure for your tank, use the fill-cost table below, or the fill cost calculator.
What a full tank costs at $2.674 per gallon
Propane tanks are filled to about 80% of capacity: the fixed liquid level gauge and outage valve leave headroom for thermal expansion. So a "full" tank holds roughly 80% of its nameplate size in usable gallons. At the current US residential cost of $2.674 per gallon, a fill from empty costs:
| Tank size | Usable gallons (80%) | Cost to fill from empty |
|---|---|---|
| 100-gallon | 80 gal | $213.92 |
| 250-gallon | 200 gal | $534.80 |
| 500-gallon | 400 gal | $1,069.60 |
| 1000-gallon | 800 gal | $2,139.20 |
These are model figures: usable gallons times the current national per-gallon cost. Most homeowners top up before hitting empty, so a real delivery is usually smaller than a fill-from-empty. Your delivered cost also carries your state, dealer, and contract, so treat this as a benchmark and confirm with a quote.
How much does the cost of propane vary by state?
A lot. In the latest EIA weekly survey, the cheapest state average was Nebraska at $1.642 per gallon and the most expensive was Florida at $4.706 per gallon, against the US average of $2.674. On a 400-gallon fill, that spread is the difference between about $656.80 and $1,882.40, so where you live matters more than almost any other single factor.
- Cost of propane per gallon by state (all 38 states EIA surveys, each with a weekly chart)
- How to find your local cost per gallon
What makes up the cost of a gallon of propane
The retail cost you pay is built on the wholesale price plus the cost of getting propane to your tank. The wholesale benchmark is the Mont Belvieu spot price ($0.726 per gallon on July 20, 2026); retail sits well above it because of trucking, storage, dealer margin, tank service, and delivery. The gap between the two, the wholesale-to-retail spread, is where most of the retail cost is determined.
- Wholesale vs retail: the spread, broken down
- How propane prices are set
- Mont Belvieu wholesale spot price
Cost of propane vs other heating fuels, per BTU
The per-gallon cost only tells you what one gallon costs, not what it costs to heat with. Propane carries about 91,500 BTU per gallon, so to compare it fairly with electricity, heating oil, or natural gas you have to compare cost per BTU, not cost per gallon.
- Propane vs heating oil, cost per BTU
- Propane vs natural gas, cost per BTU
- Propane vs electricity, cost per BTU
Cost of propane per gallon: quick answers
How much does propane cost per gallon?
The latest US residential cost of propane is $2.674 per gallon (EIA Weekly Heating Oil and Propane Survey, week ending 30 March 2026). That is the national residential average; in the same survey, state averages ran from $1.642 per gallon (Nebraska) to $4.706 per gallon (Florida). EIA surveys residential propane only from October through March, so this is the most recent published reading; the next weekly update is expected October 7, 2026.
How much does it cost to fill a 500 gallon propane tank?
A 500-gallon tank is filled to about 80% of capacity, or roughly 400 usable gallons. At the current US residential cost of $2.674 per gallon, a full fill from empty is about $1,069.60. Most homeowners do not fill from empty: topping up from 20% adds about 300 gallons, or roughly $802.20 at the same price. Your delivered cost depends on your state, dealer, tank ownership, and contract, so use this as a benchmark and confirm with a local quote.
Why does the cost of propane per gallon vary so much locally?
A national or state average blends every dealer, contract type, and delivery distance into one number, so your quote will sit near it, not on it. The cost drivers are delivery distance from the nearest terminal, dealer competition, whether you own or lease your tank, will-call versus automatic delivery, and how many gallons you use per year. Rural homes far from a terminal with few dealers pay more; areas with dense dealer competition pay less.
Is propane cheaper in summer?
Usually, yes. Summer through early autumn is the historical seasonal trough for residential propane, and dealers widely offer summer-fill pricing from July through September, before demand rises into the heating season. The freshest year-round cost signal is the wholesale Mont Belvieu spot price, which closed at $0.726 per gallon on July 20, 2026; retail runs well above wholesale. See our seasonal patterns page for the five-year monthly overlay.