LPG Cylinder Cost Calculator
Work out your monthly cooking gas cost and how long a cylinder should last.
Cooking gas is a cost most households never actually measure, because a cylinder arrives every few weeks and the number blurs. This calculator converts it into a monthly figure, a cost per day, and a comparison against induction cooking at your electricity tariff.
Cylinder and usage
Result
Fill in the fields above and your result will appear here.
What the LPG Cylinder Cost Calculator does
A domestic LPG cylinder contains 14.2 kg of gas. How long it lasts depends on how much you cook, how many people you cook for, and how well your burners are adjusted. Four-person households commonly get 40–60 days from one cylinder.
The most useful output is cost per day, because it makes cooking gas comparable with everything else in the household budget — and it makes an unusually fast cylinder immediately visible as a possible leak or a burner problem.
How to use this tool
- Enter the price you actually pay at delivery, before any subsidy credit.
- Enter the subsidy separately if you receive one — it is credited to your bank account rather than reducing the counter price.
- Note the delivery dates of your last two cylinders and enter the number of days between them.
- Add household size to see the per-person figure, which is useful when sharing a home.
- To compare with induction, enter the cooktop wattage, your daily cooking hours and your electricity tariff.
Formula and method
Effective price = Cylinder price − Subsidy credited
Cylinders/year = 365 ÷ Days per cylinder
Monthly cost = Effective price × Cylinders per year ÷ 12
Cost per day = Effective price ÷ Days per cylinder
Gas used per day = Cylinder weight in grams ÷ Days per cylinder
Induction cost/day = Watts ÷ 1,000 × Cooking hours × Tariff
Worked example
Example: ₹850 cylinder lasting 45 days
| Cylinders per year | 8.1 |
| Monthly cost | ≈ ₹574 |
| Cost per day | ₹18.89 |
| Gas used per day | 316 g |
| Induction alternative (1,800 W, 2 hrs, ₹7.50) | ≈ ₹810 a month |
LPG is cheaper here by roughly ₹236 a month. In states with lower electricity tariffs the comparison can reverse, which is why the tariff input matters.
What your result means
Cost per day is the figure to use in a household budget, and it makes cooking gas comparable with groceries and electricity.
Grams per day is a useful diagnostic. A four-person household typically uses 250–350 grams a day. Much more than that suggests a leak, an unadjusted burner or unusually heavy cooking.
The induction comparison depends almost entirely on your electricity tariff. Induction is more efficient at converting energy into heat, but electricity generally costs more per unit of energy delivered in India.
Important considerations
- LPG prices are revised monthly and differ between cities. Use the price you actually paid on your last delivery.
- Subsidy eligibility and amounts have changed several times. Check what is actually credited to your bank account rather than assuming a figure.
- Commercial cylinders are 19 kg and priced very differently. Using a commercial cylinder for domestic cooking, or the reverse, breaches the connection terms.
- A dirty or badly adjusted burner wastes gas. A blue flame indicates efficient combustion; a yellow or orange flame does not.
- Using a lid, matching pot size to burner, and soaking pulses before cooking all reduce consumption measurably.
- If a cylinder empties much faster than usual, check for a leak with soap solution at the regulator and hose before assuming heavier cooking.
Limitations of this tool
- It works from how long a cylinder lasts, which is your observation rather than a measurement of gas consumed.
- The induction comparison assumes the cooktop draws its rated power for the full cooking time, which overstates it — induction cycles once liquid reaches temperature.
- It does not model piped natural gas, which is billed by volume and priced differently from LPG.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an LPG cylinder last?
For a four-person household cooking twice a day, typically 40–60 days from a 14.2 kg cylinder. Fewer than 20 days is unusual and worth investigating for a leak or a burner problem.
Is induction cheaper than LPG in India?
It depends on your electricity tariff. Induction converts energy to heat more efficiently, but electricity generally costs more per unit of delivered energy. At ₹7.50 a unit LPG usually wins; at subsidised tariffs induction can be competitive.
How much gas does a family of four use per month?
Roughly 8–11 kg, which is about two-thirds to three-quarters of a 14.2 kg cylinder. That works out to 250–350 grams a day.
Why did my cylinder finish early?
Common causes are a leak at the regulator or hose, a burner burning yellow rather than blue, more people at home, or heavier cooking such as frying and long simmering. Check for leaks first with soap solution.