You need electricity on a gas dryer not just for the ignition but to also turn the drum. Many people forget that it costs electricity to run a gas dryer and many places that compare them don't factor this in.

There is no one answer to what's better. Much is personal preference. Generally, gas dryers cost about $50-$100+ more than electric to buy. Reliability is comparable. There's arguments about "overdrying", being hotter and the like that are simply put, uninformed. If this was true, I guess I'd then say that's a point in favor of electric, since I buy a dryer to DRY the clothes! LOL That will all vary by the unit. My dryer has five different heat levels to choose from so the temperature can vary a lot. The dryer we had at home and my sister's dryer (both gas) ran hotter than mine and I often see complaints about a brand or two having unusually high heat temps in their gas dryers - so much so they actually scortched the clothes! But I think they probably weren't working right. Just a guess.

The important thing if you're going to compare costs is to determine your actual rates on gas and electric and calculate the cost of operation, including electricity on the gas dryer, cost of the unit if there's a difference, cost of any modifications and also consider if you have a personal preference.

Venting a gas dryer is a more important consideration than on electric. If electric vent leaks, you'll get some heat and humidity in the air while venting a gas dryer will bring gas fumes in which is not good. Many people in colder climates will vent their electric dryers inside for the heat and humidity. I did that for many years.

Many make a big deal out of a dryer when it's really pretty basic. It tumbles clothes, heats some air and vents the air out (unless it's condenser) and that's about it. This isn't rocket science.

Around here electric costs are very stable, however natural gas is very volatile. So I laugh when the gas lovers say gas is always cheaper. It's not. It can be, or it might not. Or it could be cheaper sometimes.

If you compare costs, analyze your gas and electric rates for at least a couple years and get a good feel for the trends. As winter approaches, natural gas will go up significantly in my area.

Although this is a rare situation, a couple friends have breathing issues so they can't have gas appliances in their homes. I doubt this is your case but could be a consideration for some so it's only right to mention it for a fair pro/con analysis.

In the end, maybe the most important consideration is with which are you most comfortable? If it were me, for new construction, I'd seriously consider putting both sources in so I have my choice if I wanted to change down the road. That way I wouldn't commit to gas or electric essentially forever. The added cost probably wouldn't be that much and having 220 could be nice for the option of the 220v heated front loaders, although they're not as...