Compare the cost of cooking with LPG versus induction.
Each cooking method's energy use is priced at its own rate, letting you compare the two directly.
LPG cost: Energy used (kg) × LPG price per kg
Induction cost: Energy used (kWh) × electricity rate
The cooking cost calculator prices the energy used to cook a dish or a meal, either on an LPG stove or an induction cooktop. You choose the method, enter the LPG price per kg and the electricity rate, and give the energy used, in kilograms of gas for LPG or kWh for induction. It multiplies energy by the matching price.
Many Indian kitchens now have both a gas stove and an induction plate, and the question 'which is cheaper for my dal or rice?' comes up often, especially after an LPG price revision or when electricity tariffs change. This calculator puts a rupee figure on a single dish, which you can then scale to a day or month. Tiffin services and small food businesses also use it to cost a recipe accurately.
1. Choose the cooking method: LPG or induction.
2. For LPG, find the price per kg by dividing the cylinder price by its gas weight.
3. For induction, find your electricity rate per unit.
4. Measure or estimate the energy the dish uses: kg of LPG, or kWh on induction.
5. LPG cost = kg used × LPG price per kg. Induction cost = kWh used × rate.
6. Multiply by how often you cook the dish to get a monthly figure.
One kilogram of LPG contains roughly 12 to 13 kWh of heat energy, but much of a gas flame's heat escapes around the sides of the pan. An induction plate heats the pan's base directly, so a larger share of its electrical energy reaches the food. As a result, the same dish usually needs far fewer kWh on induction than the heat content of the gas it would burn. The calculator avoids this conversion by asking for the energy actually used by each method.
For induction, many cooktops show the power setting in watts. Multiply the average watts by the cooking time in hours and divide by 1000 to get kWh, or use a plug-in energy meter for an exact reading. For LPG, weigh the cylinder on a luggage scale before and after cooking a larger batch, or over several days of the same dish, and divide by the number of cooks. Small quantities are hard to measure directly, so averaging helps.
The cost per dish is energy × price, so the answer depends on your LPG price, your electricity slab and your cooking habits. In homes where extra units fall into a high slab, induction's advantage shrinks. Pressure cooking cuts energy use on both methods. Induction also needs flat-bottomed ferromagnetic cookware, and it stops during power cuts. Running the calculator for both methods with your own numbers gives a clear answer for your kitchen.
Fatima cooks a pot of rajma on her induction plate, which her energy meter shows used 0.35 kWh, and her electricity costs ₹7 per unit.
Answer: Estimated cooking cost ₹2
Entering kWh for an LPG calculation or kg of gas for induction; the energy unit must match the method.
Comparing induction and LPG using the gas's full heat content instead of energy actually used.
Using the lowest electricity slab rate when your cooking units fall into a higher slab.
Estimating LPG use from a single short cook, where the scale cannot register the small change.
Deciding whether to cook a particular dish on gas or induction.
Costing recipes for a tiffin, catering or cloud-kitchen business.
Estimating the monthly energy cost of cooking for a household.
Checking the effect of an LPG price change or tariff revision on daily cooking.
Which is generally cheaper, LPG or induction?
It depends on your local LPG and electricity prices, which are different in each region and change over time. There is no single right answer, which is exactly why comparing them directly is useful.