How we work it out
Electric ovens and cooktops don't draw full power the whole time you're cooking. An oven's element cycles on and off to hold its set temperature once it's heated up, and a cooktop element or induction coil only pulls full power while it's actively raising or holding heat. The oven figure here (1.0 kWh an hour) is a typical effective draw for a fan-forced oven at a moderate baking temperature, not its 2.5 to 3.5 kW rated nameplate power (ActewAGL). The two gas figures (9 MJ/h each) are sourced separately rather than one copied onto the other: the cooktop burner from ELGAS' gas-consumption tables corroborated by a Westinghouse cooktop's own fast-burner rating, and the oven burner from a freestanding cooker's own compliance-plate spec (Emilia Appliances), which happen to land on the same number for a mid-power burner and a standard oven burner. Cooktop figures are per element or burner. A stovetop meal often runs two or three at once, a stir-fry rarely uses just one ring, so multiply by however many you actually run together for a truer per-meal figure; this docket and its "Add to My Home" total both reflect one element unless you do that yourself. Multiply your figure by your hours of use, your uses a week, and your state's rate, and you've got a real cost.
Worked example: a one-hour roast in a fan-forced electric oven, four nights a week, in New South Wales: 1.0 kWh × 32.4¢ = about 32 cents a roast, which is roughly $1.30 a week or $68 a year.
Electric, induction or gas: which cooktop actually costs less?
A gas burner and an electric element don't turn the same share of their energy into heat that actually reaches the pan. Gas cooktops run at roughly 40% efficiency, most of the heat escapes around the pan rather than into it, electric ceramic or radiant elements sit around 74%, and induction is the best of the three at around 85 to 90%, since it heats the pan directly instead of heating an element underneath it first (InductionCooktop.com.au's efficiency guide). That gap matters more than the sticker price of gas suggests. Run the efficiency-adjusted maths against this site's own state electricity and gas rates, and the mainland east coast states (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA) still come out ahead running gas, even after accounting for the efficiency it throws away, because reticulated gas is cheap there. Western Australia, Tasmania and the ACT flip the result: gas runs two to three times the eastern states' rate there, expensive enough that induction's efficiency edge wins instead. See which wins for your own state in the docket above.
What about the oven?
A gas oven's 9 MJ/h burner input works out cheaper than an electric oven's running cost in every state on the raw energy price. Gas is priced at a fraction of electricity's rate per unit of energy, even where it runs most expensive. That's a straight compliance-plate comparison though, not an efficiency-adjusted one the way the cooktop comparison above is. An enclosed oven cavity loses a similar share of its heat out the door and walls regardless of fuel type, so the raw cost comparison is a fairer read for ovens than it is for an open cooktop burner.
Common questions
How much does it cost to run an oven in Australia?
A one-hour bake or roast in a fan-forced electric oven costs roughly 25 to 35 cents on current state reference rates, reflecting the oven's typical effective draw once its element starts cycling to hold temperature, not its full rated wattage.
Is induction cheaper to run than gas?
It depends on your state. Induction converts around 85 to 90% of its energy into heat in the pan against roughly 40% for gas, but gas is also priced much lower per unit of energy in the eastern states. Do the efficiency-adjusted maths and gas still wins on the east coast, while induction comes out ahead in Western Australia, Tasmania and the ACT, where gas runs markedly more expensive.
Does an induction cooktop use more power than a ceramic one?
Often yes, per element, since induction typically draws a little more wattage. It makes up for that by converting far more of that power into actual heat in the pan, around 85 to 90% against roughly 74% for ceramic, so a cooking task still finishes for less energy overall on induction.
What this costs, state by state
A one-hour roast in a fan-forced electric oven, four nights a week.
| State | Rate | Per week | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 32.4¢ | 42¢ | $22.03 |
| Victoria | 29.8¢ | 39¢ | $20.26 |
| Queensland | 31.2¢ | 41¢ | $21.22 |
| South Australia | 38.1¢ | 50¢ | $25.91 |
| Western Australia | 33.6¢ | 44¢ | $22.85 |
| Tasmania | 28.9¢ | 38¢ | $19.65 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 27.4¢ | 36¢ | $18.63 |
| Northern Territory | 31.7¢ | 41¢ | $21.56 |
Reference rates for 2026–27. Your row is highlighted once you set your location.
Sources
Electricity rates: AER Default Market Offer (NSW, SA, south-east QLD), Victorian Default Offer, and each remaining state's regulated tariff, current for 2026–27. Appliance figures: the energyrating.gov.au registration database (July 2026 snapshot). Methods and assumptions are described on each page.