According to a report from AAA*, Bay Area gas prices rose by a nickel a gallon last month, bringing the average price for a gallon of gas to $3.23. But, as anyone who’s taken a grade school math class knows, there’s a big difference between an average price and what you might end up paying.
Sure, gas is even more expensive for San Franciscans – according to the Ex the average cost for a gallon of regular, unleaded gas is averaging $3.25 a gallon in SF proper. In the last year, they note, SF gas prices have risen by 13 cents per gallon.
Looking at SanFranGasPrices.com, a site that says they track the “Lowest Regular Gas Prices in the Last 36 hours,” however, one realizes that one needn’t pay the average price — at publication time, you could still find gas as low as $3.04 a gallon (Arco at Geneva and Naples), $3.05 at the oh-so-contentious Arco at Fell and Divis, or $3.13 at the 76 station at 19th and Judah.
Of course, one can spend even less on gas by not driving at all. But for those who do or must drive, planning where to fill up could save quite a chunk o’ change. No duh, right? But it wasn’t until I looked at SanFranGasPrices that I realized the station I frequent is typically, on average, about 12 cents higher per gallon than other places! I have been getting screwed! So, as they say on NBC, the more you know…
*their website, annoying, requires a zip code before you’re allowed to see the report. Feel free to use mine, it’s 94122!
