Everyone talks about the price of the grill. Nobody talks about the price of running it. We modeled the fuel math for every major cooker type to find out what an hour of smoke actually costs.
The headline numbers
Four-hour cook at 275°F, all-in fuel cost, national average prices:
| Fuel / cooker | Per 4-hr cook | Per year (2 cooks/week) |
|---|---|---|
| Propane (gas grill) | $0.85 | $88 |
| Wood pellets | $1.90 | $198 |
| Charcoal (kettle) | $2.75 | $286 |
| Lump (kamado) | $2.10 | $218 |
| Wood splits (offset) | $3.20 | $333 |
Gas is cheapest to run, offset is the most expensive, and everything else clusters in the middle. But fuel is only part of the story.
Why gas wins on fuel (and what it gives up)
Propane is energy-dense and cheap. A standard 20-pound tank holds about 4.7 gallons, and a typical gas grill sips it. The tradeoff: no smoke flavor without help, and you’ll refill or exchange tanks a few times a year.
The pellet math
Pellets run about $1 per pound in 20-pound bags (buy in bulk or on sale and you’ll beat that). A pellet grill burns 1–1.5 lb/hr at smoking temps, less at high heat. For the average backyard cook doing two cooks a week, you’re looking at roughly $200 a year — the price of a nice dinner out.
Charcoal’s hidden costs
Charcoal looks cheap per bag until you do the math per cook. A kettle burns through 2+ pounds an hour, and lump for kamados costs more per pound. The flavor is real, but so is the fuel bill — roughly 50% more than pellets for equivalent cooks.
What this means for buying
Don’t pick a cooker on fuel cost alone — a $100/year difference shouldn’t decide a $1,500 purchase. But do go in with eyes open: that bargain offset smoker gets less bargain-y when you’re feeding it $300+ in wood a year.
Want your exact numbers? Our pellet cost calculator lets you plug in your cooker, your fuel prices, and your cooking habits for a personalized answer — plus a side-by-side of every fuel type.
How we estimated
We estimated fuel costs from published burn rates and national average retail fuel prices (Q3 2026). Your mileage (and your brisket) may vary.
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