★ EVERYDAY · COOKING · COMPARISONS
Gas saves $270.58 a year at the defaults: $122.31 for gas against $392.89 for charcoal. Enter your cooks per week, minutes per cook, and fuel prices to see which grill is cheaper in your backyard. This is fuel cost only: the grill itself, the food, and starter accessories are not included.
A propane tank lasts a long time because a burner sips gas; a charcoal bag disappears fast because every cook eats pounds of it. Which grill costs less over a year depends on how often you grill, how long each cook runs, and what you pay for a tank and a bag — this calculator prices both at your numbers.
A standard propane tank holds 4.6 gallons at 91,500 BTU per gallon, or 420,900 BTU in total, and a typical burner draws 30,000 BTU per hour. A 45-minute cook therefore uses 22,500 BTU, which is 1/18.7 of a tank, so at $22 per tank each gas cook costs $1.18. Over 104 cooks a year that is $122.31. Charcoal is priced by the pound: a $17 bag holding 18 lb costs $0.94 per pound, and a 45-minute cook uses 4 lb, so each charcoal cook costs $3.78, or $392.89 over 104 cooks. The gap is $270.58 a year in gas's favour, and it scales with everything: grill once a week and the saving is $135.29; grill four times a week and it grows to $541.16; stretch each cook to 60 minutes and it grows to $360.77, because charcoal use climbs with minutes faster than gas cost does. Even the branches that help charcoal still leave gas ahead: a $30 tank only trims the saving to $226.10, and a $12 bag only trims it to $155.02.
This is a fuel-cost comparison, not a verdict on your backyard. It excludes the grill itself, the food, and starter accessories such as chimney starters, lighter fluid, and fire starters — charcoal's extras add a little to its side, though not enough to close a $270.58 gap at the defaults. Wind and cold also raise real fuel use on both grills: a windy evening makes a burner work harder and a charcoal bed burn faster, so treat the totals as fair-weather figures and expect higher use in bad weather. And the real trade-off is not only money: charcoal fans prize the smoky flavour that gas cannot quite match, while gas fans prize the convenience of lighting with a knob, controlling heat instantly, and shutting down in seconds. If you grill rarely, the saving shrinks to $135.29 a year or less, and flavour may fairly win; if you grill often, gas's saving is large enough to notice on the household budget either way.
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Cooks per year | Cooks per week × 52 | 2 × 52 = 104 cooks at the defaults. |
| Propane per tank | 4.6 gal × 91,500 BTU/gal | 420,900 BTU per tank. |
| Gas cost per cook | $22 × (30,000 BTU/h × 0.75 h) ÷ 420,900 BTU | $1.18 per 45-minute cook at the defaults. |
| Gas cost per year | $1.18 × 104 cooks | $122.31 a year at the defaults. |
| Charcoal per cook | 4 lb × minutes ÷ 45 | 4 lb per 45-minute cook, 5.33 lb at 60 minutes. |
| Charcoal cost per cook | ($17 ÷ 18 lb) × 4 lb | $3.78 per 45-minute cook at the defaults. |
| Charcoal cost per year | $3.78 × 104 cooks | $392.89 a year at the defaults. |
| Yearly saving | Charcoal total − gas total | $392.89 − $122.31 in exact terms = $270.58 a year for gas. |
This is a fuel model, not a meter reading. It assumes a steady 30,000 BTU per hour burner and a fixed charcoal rate of 4 lb per 45 minutes, while real burners cycle and real charcoal burns faster in wind and cold, so bad-weather cooks cost more than shown on both sides. It excludes the grill purchase, the food, and starter accessories, and it prices one grill at a time, so a household that owns both and splits cooks between them should weight the two totals by how often each grill actually runs. Tank fills and bag weights vary by brand and store: enter your own prices and weights for the most accurate result.
Bright Side Kit. "Gas Grill vs Charcoal Grill: Yearly Cost Calculator" https://brightoolbox.com/gas-grill-vs-charcoal-grill/ Accessed October 24, 2026.At the defaults, yes: $122.31 a year for gas against $392.89 for charcoal, a saving of $270.58. A propane tank holds far more cooking energy per dollar than bagged charcoal.
$122.31 at the defaults: each 45-minute cook uses 22,500 BTU from a 420,900 BTU tank, costing $1.18, and 104 cooks a year total $122.31.
$392.89 at the defaults: each 45-minute cook uses 4 lb of charcoal at $0.94 per pound, costing $3.78, and 104 cooks a year total $392.89.
$270.58 a year at the defaults. At 1 cook a week the saving is $135.29; at 4 cooks a week it is $541.16; with 60-minute cooks it is $360.77.
On fuel cost, gas wins at every branch tested here, including a $30 tank and a $12 charcoal bag. But this is fuel only: charcoal's flavour advantage is real, and for rare grillers the money gap is small enough that taste can fairly decide.
Then gas costs $166.79 a year and still saves $226.10 against charcoal at $392.89. Tank price moves the gap, but does not close it at the defaults.
Then charcoal costs $277.33 a year and gas still saves $155.02. Cheap charcoal narrows the gap without erasing it.
Yes, on both sides: wind and cold make a burner work harder and a charcoal bed burn faster, so real fuel use runs higher than these fair-weather figures. The gap usually survives, but expect higher totals in bad weather.