Gas vs electric stove: which costs less to run? (2026 data)

All three numbers below assume a single burner running 30 minutes for a typical dinner prep. Electricity is priced at the April 2026 US residential average of 18.05¢/kWh from the EIA Electric Power Monthly. Natural gas is priced at the national residential average of roughly $1.35 per therm from the EIA Natural Gas Monthly.

Gas burner (10,000 BTU/hr average): 5,000 BTU per session = 0.05 therms. Cost: $0.07. Electric coil burner (2,500 watts): 1.25 kWh per session. Cost: $0.23. Induction burner (1,800 watts): 0.90 kWh per session. Cost: $0.16.

Gas is 3.3 times cheaper per session than electric coil and 2.3 times cheaper than induction. That ratio holds at any rate, because the fundamental cost difference is between natural gas and electricity as fuels, not between appliance models.

The annual numbers assume one hour of stovetop burner time per day, 365 days a year. Most households cook five to six days a week, so these are upper-bound estimates. Scale down proportionally for fewer cooking days.

Gas: 0.10 therms per day. 36.5 therms per year. At $1.35 per therm, that is $49 a year in gas fuel. Add roughly $2 in electricity for the ignition system and clock display. Total: about $51. Electric coil:2.50 kWh per day. 912.5 kWh per year. At 18.05¢/kWh: $164.71. Induction:1.80 kWh per day. 657 kWh per year. At 18.05¢/kWh: $118.59.

The gap between gas and electric coil is $114 a year at US-average rates. Induction narrows that gap to $68 by converting more electricity into heat in the pan.

Induction cooktops transfer about 84% of their electrical energy into the pan. Electric coil and radiant glass-top stoves transfer about 74%. Gas burners transfer roughly 40% of the fuel energy into the pan. The rest heats the air around the burner, the stovetop surface, and the kitchen.

Those efficiency numbers come from DOE testing data. In practice, they mean an induction burner at 1,800 watts delivers as much cooking heat as a 2,500-watt coil element. The lower wattage draws fewer kilowatt-hours for the same meal. Over 365 days, the 255.5 kWh difference between 912.5 (coil) and 657 (induction) is worth $46.12 at the US average rate.

The efficiency advantage also shows up as speed. Induction boils water 25 to 50% faster than coil, which means less time at full power per cooking task. The annual savings are conservative because they assume the same one-hour runtime for both types. In reality, induction finishes faster.

Gas prices vary by state, but the spread is narrow: roughly $1.00 to $1.80 per therm across the mainland. Electricity varies three to one. That asymmetry is why the gas-versus-electric gap widens as electricity rates rise. Annual costs below use 912.5 kWh for electric coil, 657 kWh for induction, and 36.5 therms for gas.

Louisiana (12.44¢/kWh): Electric coil $114. Induction $82. Gas ~$44. Texas (14.80¢/kWh): Electric coil $135. Induction $97. Gas ~$47. US average (18.05¢/kWh): Electric coil $165. Induction $119. Gas ~$49. New York (24.40¢/kWh): Electric coil $223. Induction $160. Gas ~$55. California (31.01¢/kWh): Electric coil $283. Induction $204. Gas ~$58. Hawaii (39.79¢/kWh): Electric coil $363. Induction $261.

Hawaii is the outlier: most homes use propane, not piped natural gas. Propane runs $3.00 to $4.00 per gallon, and 36.5 therms of cooking equals about 40 gallons, so the gas fuel cost there is $120 to $160 per year. At those prices, induction and propane cooking are within $100 of each other. For the other 49 states on natural gas, gas cooking stays the cheapest option on fuel alone.

The full 50-state electricity rate table is on the electricity rates by state page with current 2026 numbers.

Gas installation. If the kitchen has no gas line, running one costs $400 to $2,500 depending on distance from the main. At $114 a year in fuel savings over electric coil, a $1,500 gas line takes 13 years to recover. The same decision math applied to the gas vs electric dryer comparison and the conclusion is the same: without an existing gas hookup, the install cost erases the fuel savings.

Induction cookware. Induction requires ferromagnetic pans. If a magnet sticks to the bottom, the pan works. Most stainless steel and all cast iron qualify. Aluminum and copper do not. Replacing a full cookware set runs $150 to $300. That is a one-time cost, not an annual drag.

Ventilation. Gas combustion produces nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulates inside the kitchen. A vented range hood is strongly recommended with any gas stove. Electric and induction produce zero combustion byproducts. A hood is still useful for cooking fumes but not a health requirement.

The oven changes the mix. The numbers above are stovetop-only. Gas ovens use an electric glow-bar igniter that draws 300 to 400 watts continuously during baking. A household that bakes daily on a gas range adds 110 to 146 kWh per year in electricity, or $20 to $26, on top of the gas fuel cost. That does not flip the answer, but it shrinks the gap.

Stovetop cooking is a mid-tier kitchen electricity expense. For context at the US-average rate: a pressure cooker costs $14 a year. A microwave costs $4 to $8. A full electric range with daily oven use runs $200 to $300. The gas range with equivalent oven use runs $60 to $90 total (gas fuel plus igniter electricity). A dishwasher costs $35 to $55 a year. The refrigerator, running 24 hours a day, costs $47 to $75.

To run your actual numbers with your local rate and your specific stove wattage, use the appliance calculators for electric range, gas range, and induction cooktop. All rate data in this piece is from the EIA Electric Power Monthly and EIA Natural Gas Monthly, April 2026 releases.