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Propane prices in Montana

$2.18per gallon

Average residential price, week of October 26, 2026. Updated weekly by EIA from a survey of Montana dealers.

How the price moved

Since last week
up+1.1¢ (+0.5%)
Since a year ago
up+29¢ (+15.2%)
Since the season’s first survey (Oct 5, 2026)
up+27¢ (+13.8%)
Rocky Mountain average
$2.38
U.S. average
$2.73

9th cheapest of the 38 states EIA surveys this week.

Is this a high price for Montana?

At this point in the season, propane in Montana was cheaper than today in 9 of the last 10 years. This week is +31¢ above the 10-season median of $1.87.

Up 29¢ (+15.2%) from a year ago, when it was $1.89.

Price in the same week of each of the last 10 seasons. Dot: this week.

Propane delivery, Elliot Street, Brattleboro, Vermont, October 2025
Propane delivery, Elliot Street, Brattleboro, Vermont, October 2025
Montana propane this season against the last ten
  • This season (2026–27)
  • Last season (2025–26)
  • Range of the 10 seasons before
$1.20 $1.40 $1.60 $1.80 $2.00 $2.20 $2.40 $2.60 OctNovDecJanFebMar $2.18
Show the numbers
WeekThis seasonSame week last season
Oct 5, 2026$1.914$1.840
Oct 12, 2026$2.141$1.873
Oct 19, 2026$2.168$1.875
Oct 26, 2026$2.179$1.891

Cost to fill a propane tank in Montana

A 500-gallon tank refilled from 20% to 80% takes about 300 gallons: $654 at this week’s average.

Propane tanks are filled to 80% of their size to leave room for the liquid to expand. Gauges read percent of the full size.

$654

for 300 gallons at $2.18 a gallon in Montana.

  • At last year’s price ($1.89): $567
  • At the Rocky Mountain average ($2.38): $713
Cost to fill from 20% to 80% at $2.18 a gallon
TankGallons deliveredCost
120 gal72$157
250 gal150$327
330 gal198$431
500 gal300$654
1000 gal600$1,307

Cheapest way to heat in Montana

Cost of one million Btu of heat delivered into the house, after furnace or heat pump efficiency.

  1. Natural gas $9.37 per million Btu

    $8.74/Mcf · 90% efficient · Montana residential, last winter

  2. Heat pump $16.57 per million Btu

    14.1¢/kWh · COP 2.5 · Montana residential, year to date

  3. Propane $28.03 per million Btu

    $2.18/gal · 85% efficient · Montana weekly survey

  4. Electric resistance $41.41 per million Btu

    14.1¢/kWh · 100% efficient · Montana residential, year to date

  5. Heating oil $52.95 per million Btu

    $6.23/gal · 85% efficient · U.S. average (no state survey)

Right now natural gas is the cheapest heat here. Full winter cost comparison for Montana

When propane is cheapest

In 8 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for propane in Montana. The median season ran 16.4% above October by February.

  1. base Oct 8/10
  2. +5.9% Nov 2/10
  3. +8.3% Dec 0/10
  4. +15.1% Jan 0/10
  5. +16.4% Feb 0/10
  6. +15.0% Mar 0/10

Top: median price compared with October across the last 10 complete seasons. Bottom: in how many of those seasons that month had the lowest average price.

Reading the pattern

This is what happened in past winters, not a forecast. Cold snaps, supply problems and crude oil prices can move any single season against the pattern, and propane also follows crop-drying demand in the fall and export markets.

Many dealers offer pre-buy or capped-price contracts in late summer. Whether they pay off depends on the winter that follows; the season chart above shows how far prices have moved in past years.

Every heating season since 2014–15
  1. $1.96 2014–15
  2. $1.57 2015–16
  3. $1.99 2016–17
  4. $1.93 2017–18
  5. $1.89 2018–19
  6. $1.61 2019–20
  7. $1.65 2020–21
  8. $2.30 2021–22
  9. $2.37 2022–23
  10. $2.09 2023–24
  11. $2.12 2024–25
  12. $2.02 2025–26

Season average of the weekly survey prices, October–March, in dollars of the day (not adjusted for inflation).

Propane across the survey

  1. North Dakota $1.75
  2. Iowa $1.75
  3. Nebraska $1.83
  4. Illinois $1.95
  5. South Dakota $1.95
  6. Wisconsin $2.01
  7. Minnesota $2.05
  8. Kansas $2.10
  9. Montana $2.18
  10. Missouri $2.23
  11. Colorado $2.37
  12. Oklahoma $2.38
  13. Michigan $2.46
  14. Utah $2.47
  15. Arkansas $2.48
  16. Indiana $2.62
  17. Idaho $2.69
  18. Ohio $2.70
  19. Kentucky $2.84
  20. Mississippi $3.15
  21. Texas $3.18
  22. Pennsylvania $3.21
  23. Tennessee $3.28
  24. Georgia $3.28
  25. Alabama $3.63
  26. North Carolina $3.64
  27. Maine $3.68
  28. Massachusetts $3.72
  29. New York $3.79
  30. Virginia $3.80
  31. Delaware $3.81
  32. Maryland $3.86
  33. New Hampshire $3.90
  34. Vermont $3.93
  35. New Jersey $4.10
  36. Rhode Island $4.12
  37. Connecticut $4.32
  38. Florida $4.97

Montana propane questions

A residential propane tank
A residential propane tank
What is the price of propane in Montana right now?

The average residential price was $2.179 a gallon the week of October 26, 2026, from EIA’s weekly survey. That is +1.1¢ from the week before. Prices from individual dealers vary, and many charge less for larger deliveries or cash payment.

How much does it cost to fill a 500-gallon tank in Montana?

About $654 for 300 gallons at this week’s average, filling from 20% to the 80% safe maximum. Use the calculator above for your own gauge reading.

When is the best time to buy propane in Montana?

In 8 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for propane in Montana. The median season ran 16.4% above October by February. Off-season fills (late spring and summer) are not in EIA’s weekly survey, so they cannot be compared here.

Where does this price come from?

From the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s State Heating Oil and Propane Program, which surveys residential prices every Monday from October through March and publishes them on Wednesday. See methodology.

Source and update

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Heating Oil and Propane Update, series W_EPLLPA_PRS_SMT_DPG. Weekly data from Oct 13, 2014; 323 surveys on record. This page was rebuilt on November 4, 2026.

Prices include taxes and are averages of dealer quotes for residential delivery. Nominal dollars. EIA data page · All sources