If you wanted to buy a decent gas grill for under $500 a few years ago, you had plenty of models to choose from.

While the price of most grills has gone up (thanks inflation), you can still find some cheaper models that will serve you well in this price range. Cheaper gas grills tend to be smaller, but we’ve managed to include a full-sized 4-burner for your consideration.

Our Top 5 Choices of the Best Gas Grill Under $500

We’ve cooked on and tested dozens of gas grills from $229 all the way up to $6000. Below, you’ll find our recommendations for the best gas grills you can buy for under $500. We’ve assembled and cooked on all of these grills in the last year. You may also want to check out our picks for the best small gas grills, the best stainless steel grills, or the best infrared grills.

1. The Best Gas Grill Under $500 – Monument Mesa 415BZ

The best gas grill under $500 we’ve tested is the Monument Mesa 415BZ. Unlike the similarly priced grills from other brands we tested, the Mesa is a full sized grill with 4 burners, plus a dedicated sear burner and a side burner.

That’s a lot of extra size and features for only slightly more money than the 2-burner Weber Spirit II.

Quick Specs

The entire grill body is made from stainless steel, and it feels sturdier than some of the other stainless grills we’ve tested.

This version of the Mesa includes a broil/sear zone, typically found only on grills over $1000. An additional burner activates this zone, and which functions as part of the regular grill when not in use.

The two side shelves provide plenty of prep space, and there are three hooks for hanging your grill tools.

You also get a window built into the lid, although that will require regular cleaning if you want a good view of your food while it cooks.

The one downside of this grill is the long assembly. It took us over an hour and a half, and that’s with two experienced grill assemblers. But that’s the price you pay for the larger size and extra features.

The build quality isn’t going to match a Weber or Napoleon, but for the price you can’t beat the features and size of the Monument Mesa.

2. Best 2 burner gas grill under $500 – Weber Spirit II E-210

If you don’t need (or can’t fit) the size of the Monument, then the Weber Spirit is our top pick in the 2 burner category.

Despite being one of Weber‘s entry-level grills, this is the most solidly built of all the grills we tested.

Quick Specs

Unlike the Mesa, the cart is open, and because the propane bottle is stored to the side you can make full use of the shelf.

The 360 square inches of cooking space can easily accommodate 6 pork chops or steaks at once. You also get a warming rack, but I typically leave that off as it gets in the way when flipping and rotating meat.

The cast iron cooking grates get a great sear. Burners lit up instantly every time.

One of the side shelves folds down, while the other is fixed. Both offer 3 hanging hooks.

You also get a propane tank scale, so you can quickly check and see if you are running low, although it’s a little awkward to get down low and check.

The front right and left ran a little bit cooler during our burnt toast test.

This grill is perfect for smaller families who want a grill that will last a long time. One advantage of Weber is the huge range of accessories they offer, including rotisserie and griddle grates.

The Spirit does come in a few other sizes with more burners, and a natural gas version so check the Weber website out for more details, although they will all exceed the $500 budget.

3. Best Portable Tabletop Grill – Weber Q2800N+

Read our full Weber Q2800N+ review.

If you want something more portable than either the Spirit or the Monument, then our top pick is the Q2800N+, which also topped our list of the best small gas grills.

You get 320 square inches of cooking space, all heated by a single burner. There’s an additional plus burner that gives you extra heat for searing, but you can’t setup multiple zones so this grill is not good for indirect cooking larger cuts.

Quick Specs

In our tests the Q+ easily got up to temperatures of 750°F, making this a searing machine.

In our burnt toast test, every piece was cooked pretty even, although the edges were slightly less charred.

The side tables are surprisingly sturdy for such a small grill and can be removed and stored under the grill.

The Q can be placed on any sturdy tabletop, or you can buy a cart from Weber. Weber also recommends using a standard 20-pound liquid propane tank, not one of the smaller ones.

Weighing in at under 40 lbs you can relatively easily move this grill back inside for storage.

If you don’t mind giving up some of the searing power, Weber also makes an even more portable gas option, called the Traveler. This is attached to a collapsible cart, which makes it perfect for getting it into your car and taking it to tailgates or camping.

4. Best 3 Burner – [TAG139]

We were surprised by how much we enjoyed cooking on the Broil King Gem. If you don’t mind sacrificing some features and build quality, you can get a 3 burner grill which gives you more freedom to create hotter and cooler zones for grilling different types of food.

The overall design feels solid with its cast aluminum chamber and stainless steel wrap on the lid. The powder coated cabenet doesn’t provide a lot of storage space, but it does provide convenient storage for your LP bottle.

Quick Specs

The cast iron grates make for excellent searing.

In our initial burn off, we recorded temperatures of over 750°F on the built-in temperature gauge.

You get two tool hooks on each plastic side shelf, and they both fold down, which makes this a great option if you have a small balcony.

In our burnt toast test, we found the inside toast was cooked faster than the outer pieces.

Despite being a 3 burner, this is a very compact grill with only 294 square inches of primary cooking surface, which is less than the 2 burner Weber Spirit. I had no problem grilling six good sized pork chops at once, so it’s fine for a small to medium sized family.

The price point is also well under the $500 limit, and the warranty is fantastic for a budget grill.

5. Best Budget – Char-Broil American Gourmet Classic 3 Burner

If the other options we’ve covered are too expensive for you, then the Char-Broil offers a 3 burner for around 1/2 the price of the other models we’ve looked at so far.

The cart isn’t as solidly built, and you don’t get any searing zone or side burners but you still get 360 square inches of primary cooking space, and plenty of BTUs to churn out some excellent grilled steaks.

Quick Specs

That’s actually the same size as the Weber Spirit, which only has two burners, so theoretically you get a little bit more control with this grill.

Unfortuatenly there is no temperature gauge built in, and the side shelves do not fold down. There are also no tool hooks.

One advantage of being a simpler design is that the grill only took us half an hour to put together.

The porcelain steel grill grates aren’t as sturdy as the Weber or Monument we tested, but as you can see in the photos above this grill is still capable of some beautiful sear marks.

On the toast test we noticed that the inside toast got a lot darker than the outside, so you’ll need to keep rotating your meat as it cooks.

While the Char-Broil won’t last as long as some of the other grills we tested, if you just need a no frills gas grill you can’t beat the price.

How we tested

Our recommendations above are what we think are the best gas grills under $500 for most people.

We selected these grills based on price, availability and features. Each of these grills was supplied to us by the manufacturer for the purpose of reviewing, but no money changed hands and we were free share our honest opinion of each grills performance.

To test each grill out we just used them like we owned them. We assembled each grill ourselves, and then put them through an initial burn off to remove any leftover chemicals.

Following that we grilled a variety of foods including steak, pork chops, burgers and brats on each grill over a number of weeks and months.

We also did a ‘toast test’ on each grill which allows us to easily determine where any hot or cold spots are.

What to look for for in a cheap grill

Buying a gas grill for under 500 dollars is all about prioritization.

If you’re OK going for a 2 burner grill, then you can get an entry level Weber with great build quality, support and warranty.

If you don’t mind going for a more value orientated brand like Monument Grills, then you can get a whole lot more features for your moeny.

Number of Burners/Cooking Size

Having more burners gives you more control as you can create hot and cooler zones which is essential for cooking larger cuts of meat, or if you are grilling steak and veggies at the same time.

We prefer grills with three or more burners for this reason.

More burners usually also means more usable grilling area, although that’s not always the case the 3 burner Broil King we tested had less square meters than the 2 burner Weber Spirit so make sure you always check the specs.

Portable grills can get away with less burners, as you’re more likely going to be sticking to burgers, hotdogs and steak where you don’t need to create multiple zones.

Some grills like the Monument Mesa we reviewed include additional searing or broil burners which increase the heat in a certain zone, making them great for high temperature searing.

BTU Level/Heat Flux

The BTU number is often used by manufacturers to advertise how powerful a grill is, but it’s really more of a measure of how much fuel it will use in a given period of time.

While it’s good to have a high BTU rating, keep in mind that higher BTU numbers don’t necessarily translate to faster cooking time.

How fast your meat cooks depends on your BTU rating, your cooking surface, and how much space has to be heated at one time.

This delivery ratio of BTU per square inch is also called “heat flux”.

For instance, small gas grills with lower BTU ratings can often produce more concentrated heat.

They can cook a few burgers more quickly than a larger gas grill with a higher BTU rating that has to cook twice the amount of meat.

Portability

There are some excellent portable grills available at this budget, but you’ll usually be giving up quite a lot of size.

You should think about if you really need a grill that you can pick up and take with you, or if you just need a compact grill that will sit in one place.

Shelving and Storage Space

We prefer grills that include some prep areas, preferably with foldable side tables that include tool hooks.

Some models also have shelves or storage areas in the cart. This will allow you to store sauces, tools, trays, and other accessories that you might use during your cooking session, plus it’s nice to keep your propane bottle out of the way.

Final thoughts

Buying a grill for under $500 can be done, but it does require careful prioritisation. After months of testing we confident to recommend the Monument Mesa as our best overall pick with it’s size and mix of features.

If you don’t need the extra burners and sear zone, the Weber Spirit II E-210 is the obvious choice unless you need something portable.

If you want to look at more options you can browse our full database of gas grill reviews and if you have any questions about any of these grills, or a suggestion for a grill we should review, leave a comment below.