HeatFuelWatch Your state
Menu

Propane prices in North Carolina

$3.64per gallon

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

How the price moved

Since last week
up+4.3¢ (+1.2%)
Since a year ago
up+32¢ (+9.7%)
Since the season’s first survey (Oct 5, 2026)
up+8.8¢ (+2.5%)
Lower Atlantic average
$3.70
U.S. average
$2.73

26th cheapest of the 38 states EIA surveys this week.

Is this a high price for North Carolina?

North Carolina propane is the most expensive it has been at this point in the season in at least 10 years: +25¢ above the previous high, set in 2022–23.

Up 32¢ (+9.7%) from a year ago, when it was $3.32.

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
North Carolina propane this season against the last ten
  • This season (2026–27)
  • Last season (2025–26)
  • Range of the 10 seasons before
$2.25 $2.50 $2.75 $3.00 $3.25 $3.50 $3.75 OctNovDecJanFebMar $3.64
Show the numbers
WeekThis seasonSame week last season
Oct 5, 2026$3.550$3.302
Oct 12, 2026$3.556$3.308
Oct 19, 2026$3.595$3.286
Oct 26, 2026$3.638$3.316

Cost to fill a propane tank in North Carolina

A 500-gallon tank refilled from 20% to 80% takes about 300 gallons: $1,091 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.

$1,091

for 300 gallons at $3.64 a gallon in North Carolina.

  • At last year’s price ($3.32): $995
  • At the Lower Atlantic average ($3.70): $1,110
Cost to fill from 20% to 80% at $3.64 a gallon
TankGallons deliveredCost
120 gal72$262
250 gal150$546
330 gal198$720
500 gal300$1,091
1000 gal600$2,183

Cheapest way to heat in North Carolina

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

  1. Natural gas $16.90 per million Btu

    $15.76/Mcf · 90% efficient · North Carolina residential, last winter

  2. Heat pump $17.51 per million Btu

    14.9¢/kWh · COP 2.5 · North Carolina residential, year to date

  3. Electric resistance $43.79 per million Btu

    14.9¢/kWh · 100% efficient · North Carolina residential, year to date

  4. Propane $46.80 per million Btu

    $3.64/gal · 85% efficient · North Carolina weekly survey

  5. Heating oil $49.62 per million Btu

    $5.84/gal · 85% efficient · North Carolina weekly survey

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

When propane is cheapest

In 4 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for propane in North Carolina. The median season ran 4.3% above October by March.

  1. base Oct 4/10
  2. +0.5% Nov 1/10
  3. +1.5% Dec 1/10
  4. +2.8% Jan 1/10
  5. +4.1% Feb 0/10
  6. +4.3% Mar 3/10

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 1996–97
  1. $1.24 1996–97
  2. $1.07 1997–98
  3. $0.97 1998–99
  4. $1.23 1999–00
  5. $1.60 2000–01
  6. $1.18 2001–02
  7. $1.37 2002–03
  8. $1.46 2003–04
  9. $1.77 2004–05
  10. $2.00 2005–06
  11. $2.04 2006–07
  12. $2.64 2007–08
  13. $2.44 2008–09
  14. $2.62 2009–10
  15. $2.89 2010–11
  16. $3.09 2011–12
  17. $2.71 2012–13
  18. $3.27 2013–14
  19. $2.77 2014–15
  20. $2.33 2015–16
  21. $2.57 2016–17
  22. $2.91 2017–18
  23. $2.83 2018–19
  24. $2.57 2019–20
  25. $2.73 2020–21
  26. $3.39 2021–22
  27. $3.35 2022–23
  28. $3.30 2023–24
  29. $3.38 2024–25
  30. $3.36 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

North Carolina propane questions

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

The average residential price was $3.638 a gallon the week of October 26, 2026, from EIA’s weekly survey. That is +4.3¢ 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 North Carolina?

About $1,091 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.

Is propane cheaper than heating oil in North Carolina?

Per unit of heat, propane is cheaper this week: $46.80 versus $49.62 per million Btu delivered, assuming 85% efficient equipment for both. Comparing price per gallon alone is misleading because a gallon of heating oil holds about 51% more heat than a gallon of propane.

When is the best time to buy propane in North Carolina?

In 4 of the last 10 heating seasons, October was the cheapest month for propane in North Carolina. The median season ran 4.3% above October by March. 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_SNC_DPG. Weekly data from Oct 1, 1990; 792 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