Costco Propane Price Per Gallon Refill
Costco does not publish its propane refill price. It is not on costco.com, and the warehouse finder has no propane filter, so the price is whatever the warehouse posts. What you can check it against: U-Haul prints a per-gallon price on the page of each location that refills cylinders (some only exchange them), and on 21 October 2026 the median across 108 U-Haul locations in 20 metros was $4.10 a gallon before tax.
Check a Costco (or any) refill price
Enter the price on the pump or the exchange cage. The page divides it by the gallons in the cylinder and compares the result with 108 U-Haul refill prices read on 21 October 2026.
U-Haul refill prices by metro
The U-Haul refill locations listed nearest the centre of each metro (exchange-only stores have no refill price and are left out), with the “Tank Refills” price each location page showed on 21 October 2026. Prices are per gallon before sales tax. U-Haul lists a separate, usually lower, “Alternative Fuel” price for vehicle autogas; that is not a cylinder refill and is left out.
| Metro | Locations | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany, NY | 6 | $3.65 | $4.25 | $4.50 |
| Atlanta, GA | 6 | $3.80 | $4.13 | $4.25 |
| Boston, MA | 6 | $3.75 | $4.25 | $4.25 |
| Charlotte, NC | 5 | $3.65 | $4.10 | $4.95 |
| Chicago, IL | 1 | $3.75 | $3.75 | $3.75 |
| Columbus, OH | 5 | $3.95 | $4.10 | $4.25 |
| Dallas, TX | 6 | $3.85 | $4.20 | $5.00 |
| Denver, CO | 6 | $3.95 | $4.37 | $4.49 |
| Detroit, MI | 6 | $3.60 | $3.75 | $3.95 |
| Phoenix area (Gilbert, AZ) | 6 | $3.75 | $4.13 | $4.25 |
| Kansas City, MO | 5 | $3.65 | $3.80 | $4.10 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 6 | $3.95 | $4.10 | $4.25 |
| Miami, FL | 6 | $3.75 | $4.13 | $4.25 |
| Minneapolis, MN | 4 | $3.80 | $4.25 | $4.25 |
| Nashville, TN | 6 | $4.00 | $4.13 | $4.25 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 4 | $3.60 | $3.78 | $4.15 |
| Portland, ME | 6 | $3.60 | $3.95 | $4.25 |
| Sacramento, CA | 6 | $3.85 | $4.15 | $4.25 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 6 | $3.60 | $3.65 | $3.75 |
| Seattle, WA | 6 | $3.65 | $4.38 | $5.80 |
| All 20 metros | 108 | $3.60 | $4.10 | $5.80 |
Source: U-Haul propane location pages (search “propane near” plus a city). This is a sample of city-centre locations, not a national average, and a single location's price can change at any time; the page for your nearest U-Haul shows its current price.
Reading a Costco price
Where a Costco warehouse fills cylinders, the price is posted there. If it is given per fill rather than per gallon, divide by 4.7 for a 20 lb cylinder filled to its mark. Then compare like with like: a cylinder refill with other cylinder refills (the U-Haul table above), not with delivered home propane, which the EIA residential survey prices at $2.689 a gallon for the week of 19 October 2026 and which arrives by truck in hundreds of gallons at a time.
Costco's warehouse services are for members. Costco's customer service page puts membership at $65 a year, with Executive an additional $65 upgrade fee a year. The Executive 2% reward excludes gasoline; the exclusion list does not mention propane, so ask the warehouse whether a propane fill counts.
Refill or exchange
An exchange cage swaps your empty cylinder for a full one that carries 15 lb of propane, about 3.6 gallons, the fill level at the centre of FTC case 111-0195 against AmeriGas and Blue Rhino. A refill fills your own 20 lb cylinder to its mark, about 4.7 gallons. To compare the two, put the exchange price over 3.6 gallons: at the U-Haul refill median of $4.10 a gallon, an exchange is cheaper per gallon only if it costs less than $14.76. The tool above does this division for an exchange price too.
A refill needs a cylinder that is in date: the requalification date is stamped on the collar, and a station will not fill an out-of-date cylinder until it has been requalified. An exchange hands you a different cylinder, so the date on yours stops mattering.
Buying a cylinder at Costco
Costco sells empty Flame King cylinders online, from 1 lb refillable bottles to 20 lb, 30 lb and 100 lb steel cylinders. They are sold empty, so price the first fill on top. Prices change by listing and by week; costco.com shows the current one.
Related
- Camping propane price (1 lb and 20 lb cylinders)
- Blue Rhino exchange price per gallon
- AmeriGas propane price per gallon
- Suburban Propane price
- Propane prices near me (delivered, by state)
FAQ
How much does it cost to fill a propane tank at Costco?
Costco does not publish its propane refill price online; it is posted only at the warehouses that fill cylinders, so ask at yours. To judge the number you are given, divide a 20 lb refill price by 4.7 gallons and compare it with U-Haul, which prints a per-gallon price on the page of each location that refills cylinders (some U-Haul stores only exchange): across 108 U-Haul locations in 20 metros on 21 October 2026, the median was $4.10 a gallon before tax, about $19.27 for a 4.7-gallon fill.
Is Costco the cheapest place to refill propane?
Nobody can say from published data, because Costco does not publish its price. What is published is U-Haul's: the middle half of 108 U-Haul locations charged $3.80 to $4.25 a gallon before tax on 21 October 2026. If your Costco's posted price is below $3.80 a gallon, it beats three quarters of that sample.
Is a refill or an exchange cheaper per gallon?
An exchange cylinder carries 15 lb of propane (about 3.6 gallons), the fill level the FTC case against AmeriGas and Blue Rhino (111-0195) turned on. At the U-Haul median of $4.10 a gallon, an exchange is only cheaper per gallon if it costs less than $14.76.
Do I need a Costco membership for propane?
Costco's warehouse services are for members. Costco's own customer service page puts membership at $65 a year, with the Executive tier an additional $65 upgrade fee a year. Its Executive 2% reward list excludes gasoline; it does not mention propane, so ask the warehouse whether a propane fill earns the reward.
How do I find a Costco that fills propane?
Call the warehouse. The costco.com warehouse finder filters by gas station, tire center, food court, hearing aids, optical, pharmacy and business center, but has no propane filter, so the website cannot tell you which warehouses fill cylinders.
How much propane does a 20 lb tank hold?
About 4.7 gallons when filled to its 20 lb mark (at about 4.2 lb a gallon). An exchange cylinder carries 15 lb, about 3.6 gallons.