Most comparisons of induction and gas are written by people who have already decided induction wins. I will try not to do that, because in a Singapore kitchen the answer genuinely depends on how you cook and what is already installed.
Here is what actually separates them, starting with the parts nobody mentions.
They need different holes
If you are replacing rather than building new, this comes first. A 60 cm induction hob in our range needs a 560 x 490 mm cutout, almost without exception. A 60 cm gas hob usually needs 560 x 480 mm, and two Mayer models, the MMGH360HI and MMSS360HI, need 555 x 475 mm.
So swapping gas for induction on an existing worktop typically means enlarging the cutout by 10 mm in depth. That is straightforward in most materials and awkward in stone. Going the other way, from induction to gas, leaves you 10 mm oversized, which is harder to fix.
The preparation work is different, and neither is free
Gas needs a Licensed Gas Service Worker for the connection. That is a licensing requirement in Singapore, not a manufacturer preference, and it needs booking around your delivery date.
Induction needs adequate electrical supply. A 13 A socket gives you roughly 3000 W at 230 V. The Bosch PUE611BB5J and PUE612BB1J sit at exactly 3000 W and come with a plug. Above that, the PUC61KAA5E and PUC611BB5E draw 4600 W, and the PID631BB5E and PXE675DC1E draw 7400 W, all with no plug supplied. Those need a dedicated circuit and a licensed electrician.
Neither route is plug-and-play. Pick your inconvenience.
How they cook
Induction is faster to boil, more precise at low settings and far easier to clean, because the glass never gets hot enough on its own to bake spills on. Turn it off and the heat stops almost immediately, which changes how you cook sauces.
Gas gives you a visible flame, works with any pan, and responds instantly in the other direction too. It also heats the sides of a wok, which is the whole point of a wok.
That last one matters more here than in most markets. Wok cooking depends on heat wrapping up the curved sides of the pan. An induction zone heats a flat contact patch at the base and nothing else, so a round-bottomed wok on a flat induction hob is compromised. Some manufacturers make wok-specific induction zones with a concave surface, but on a standard flat hob, gas remains better for that specific technique.
If your household stir-fries several times a week, that is a real argument for gas or for a hybrid setup with a gas wok burner alongside induction zones.
Heat in the kitchen
A gas flame heats the room as well as the pan. In a small enclosed Singapore kitchen without much ventilation, that is noticeable, and it adds to what your air conditioning is fighting. Induction puts most of its energy into the pan, so the kitchen stays cooler.
Worth weighing if your kitchen is small and closed off, which describes a lot of HDB layouts.
Cookware
Induction needs magnetic pans. The test is a fridge magnet on the base: if it grips firmly, the pan works. Cast iron and most stainless steel are fine, aluminium and copper are not unless they have a bonded magnetic disc.
Assume you will replace a few pans. It is a smaller cost than the electrical work but it lands in the first week, when you have just spent money on a hob.
Profile above the worktop
Induction hobs are almost flush. The Electrolux EIV63343 is 44 mm tall overall, most Bosch induction hobs are 51 mm, and nearly all of that sits below the surface.
Gas hobs stand proud, because the burners and trivets have to. The Electrolux EHG9350BEP is 130 mm tall and the EHG9357MFP 168 mm. That is not a fault, it is how gas works, but it changes how the worktop looks and how easy it is to wipe down.
Choice in the catalogue
We list 34 models in induction hobs, 45 in Town Gas hobs and 37 in LPG hobs. Gas is still the larger part of the market here, and the range reflects that.
Induction also covers formats gas does not. Domino units at 268 to 270 mm cutout let you combine narrow modules. Venting hobs put the extraction into the hob itself. Neither exists in gas.
My honest read
If you are renovating, your kitchen is small and closed, you cook mostly in flat-bottomed pans, and you are getting an electrician in anyway, induction is the better appliance and it is not close.
If you have a piped gas supply already working, you cook with a wok regularly, and the thought of a dedicated circuit is a headache you do not need, gas is a perfectly good answer and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.
Compare both in hobs and cooktops, or start at your width with the 60 cm hobs.
The same argument, made with food
If the specifications above have not settled it, three recipes make the case from the other end:
- Char kway teow and the wok hei problem, which is the strongest case for gas in this whole article.
- Hainanese chicken rice on induction, where holding water below a simmer for forty minutes is exactly what induction is good at.
- Chilli crab, and why flexible zones matter once the pan gets wide.
Common questions
Can I use a wok on an induction hob?
A flat-bottomed wok works. A traditional round-bottomed one does not, because it makes contact with the hob over a small area at the base. Some hobs offer a dedicated wok zone; otherwise gas is better for that technique.
Is switching from gas to induction a big job?
Two pieces of work. The worktop cutout usually needs enlarging by about 10 mm in depth, and unless the hob is a 3000 W plug-in model, you need a dedicated electrical circuit. Both are routine, both need arranging before delivery.
Which is safer?
Induction has no flame and the surface only gets hot from residual pan heat, so it is generally the safer choice with young children in the kitchen. Gas has an open flame and a fuel supply. Both are safe when properly installed, and gas installation by an unlicensed person is the actual risk.
Do induction hobs make a noise?
Some do, particularly at high power with lightweight pans, and it varies by cookware more than by hob. A heavy-based pan is usually quieter than a thin one.
Can I have both?
Yes, using domino modules. A 270 mm induction domino next to a 270 mm gas domino gives you induction precision and a gas burner for the wok. It needs two cutouts with a bridge of worktop between them, sized to the manufacturers' instructions.