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500 Gallon Propane Tank Cost: Purchase, Install & Refill

The cost of a 500-gallon propane tank, from the prices sellers actually publish: Tankfarm lists an above-ground install package from $5,587 (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and parts of New Hampshire), and Chimney Cricket lists the tank alone at $5,058 (Florida). Filling it costs about $1,076 for 400 usable gallons at the EIA national average of $2.69/gal (week ending October 19, 2026).

Tank and install prices checked October 20, 2026.

Latest EIA residential propane price

Source: EIA SHOPP residential propane survey. Week ending 19 October 2026. Refreshed 22 October 2026.

500-Gallon Tank: Published Prices

Most propane dealers quote tanks and installs privately, so these are the published listings we could read, each named with its seller and region. They are list prices, not a national average.

Installed, above-ground
from $5,587

Tankfarm complete package: delivery, installation, the above-ground piping base fee and 25 ft of gas line. Tanks sold only to Tankfarm propane customers.

Source: Tankfarm
Installed, underground
$12,049

Tankfarm package including excavation.

Source: Tankfarm
Trenching for the gas line
$240 + $12/ft

Tankfarm trenching base fee plus a per-foot charge; extra above-ground line beyond 25 ft is also $12/ft.

Source: Tankfarm
Tank only, new
$5,058

Arcosa 500-gallon above-ground ASME tank, 37 in diameter. Free shipping Tampa to Naples; freight quoted elsewhere.

Source: Chimney Cricket
Renting instead
Set by each supplier

Example: Polk-Burnett (Wisconsin) publishes a $200 a year rental fee, charged only if deliveries fall below half the tank's capacity in a year, and a $100 tank set fee (2025-26 fee schedule).

Source: Polk-Burnett
Refill at national avg ($2.69/gal)
$1,076 (400 gal)

EIA residential average. Range $660 (North Dakota) to $1,971 (Florida).

Source: EIA

Using Tankfarm's published rates, the installed price for your yard is the package price plus $240 and $12 for every foot of trench your installer says you need. Ask every quote to list the tank, the regulator, the line, trenching and the permit separately, so you can compare like for like.

500-Gallon Tank Specs

Two builds are common: a wider, shorter tank and a slimmer, longer one. Measure your site for the one your installer will set.

Wider build (Manchester Tank, rev. 4/11/2025)41 in diameter, 8 ft 8.5 in long, 3 ft 6 15/16 in tall, 972 lb empty
Slimmer build (Kleen-Rite 2020 spec table)37.5 in diameter, about 10 ft long, 4 ft tall, about 950 lb empty
Usable propane (filled to 80%)400 gallons
Weight fullAbout 1,700 lb of propane (400 gal at roughly 4.2 lb/gal) plus the tank
Setback, above-ground (NFPA 58)10 ft from buildings and buildable adjoining property lines

Spec sources: Manchester Tank above-ground spec sheet, Kleen-Rite propane tank specifications. Local codes can add to the NFPA 58 setbacks.

Looking for what it costs to fill a 500-gallon tank?

A 500-gallon refill from empty runs about $1,076 at the national average (400 usable gallons under the 80% rule), with the full per-state breakdown and volume-discount math on our fill-cost hub. To price a top-up from your gauge reading, use the fill-up calculator.

Cost to fill a propane tank by size →Fill-up calculator

Is a 500-Gallon Tank Right for You?

A 500-gallon tank holds 400 usable gallons, so the sum is simple: your annual gallons divided by 400 is roughly how many full deliveries a year you need.

500 fits when: Propane heats the house as well as the water and the stove, and you use around 800 to 1,200 gallons a year, which is two or three full deliveries.
Look at 1,000 gallons when: You use well over 1,200 gallons a year, a generator shares the tank, or you want fewer deliveries. For scale, Tankfarm lists its 1,000-gallon above-ground package at $7,825 against $5,587 for 500 gallons. 1,000-gallon tank cost
Look at 250 gallons when: Propane only runs the water heater, stove or dryer, and you use under about 400 gallons a year. 250-gallon tank cost

How We Priced This

Tank and install prices are list prices read from each seller's own page on October 20, 2026: Tankfarm and Chimney Cricket. The rental example is from Polk-Burnett's fee schedule (2025-26 edition, rev. 10-25). Fill costs are 400 gallons times the EIA weekly residential propane price and update when EIA publishes. We do not average listings into a national range, because two sellers in two regions are not a national sample. Prices change; the seller's page is the current word.

500-Gallon Tank FAQ

How much does a 500-gallon propane tank cost?
Published prices checked October 20, 2026: Tankfarm, which installs in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and parts of New Hampshire, lists a 500-gallon above-ground tank as a complete install package from $5,587 (delivery, installation, the piping base fee and 25 feet of gas line; trenching extra) and an underground package with excavation at $12,049. Chimney Cricket in Florida lists an Arcosa 500-gallon above-ground ASME tank, tank only, at $5,058. Most dealers do not publish tank prices, so get written quotes. Filling it is separate: 400 usable gallons at the EIA national average of $2.69/gal (week ending October 19, 2026) is about $1,076.
How much does it cost to fill a 500-gallon propane tank?
A 500-gallon tank is filled to 80%, so a fill from empty is 400 gallons. At the EIA national residential average of $2.69/gal (week ending October 19, 2026) that is about $1,076. In the cheapest state EIA reports (North Dakota, $1.65/gal) it is about $660; in the most expensive (Florida, $4.93/gal) about $1,971. Most deliveries top up a tank sitting at 20-30%, so the usual bill is smaller.
How long does a 500-gallon propane tank last?
Divide 400 usable gallons by what you burn. A household using 150 gallons in a cold month gets under three months from a full tank in midwinter; a household using propane only for water heating and cooking, at 20 to 30 gallons a month, gets more than a year. Your supplier's delivery history shows your own monthly use, and that is the number to plan with.
Should I buy or rent a 500-gallon tank?
Compare the installed price with what renting costs you each year: the rental fee, plus the per-gallon gap between your supplier's price and the best price you could get as a tank owner, times your annual gallons. Rental terms are set by each supplier. One example: Polk-Burnett in Wisconsin publishes a $200 a year tank rental fee that it charges only when deliveries fall below half the tank's capacity in a year, so a heating customer on that schedule pays no rent. If your supplier waives rent and prices in line with local competitors, owning saves little; if it charges rent and prices above the market, owning pays back faster.
What are the dimensions of a 500-gallon propane tank?
There are two common builds. Manchester Tank's current above-ground 500-gallon tank is 41 inches in diameter, 8 ft 8.5 in long and 3 ft 6 15/16 in tall, and weighs 972 lb empty (spec sheet rev. 4/11/2025). The longer, slimmer build is 37.5 inches in diameter, about 10 ft long and 4 ft tall, at about 950 lb (Kleen-Rite's 2020 spec table). Add about 1,700 lb for 400 gallons of propane at roughly 4.2 lb per gallon. Under NFPA 58, an above-ground tank of 251 to 500 gallons water capacity must sit at least 10 feet from buildings and from a line of adjoining property that can be built on.
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