Where To Find The Cheapest Gas In Palo Alto

PALO ALTO, CA — It's no secret that Californians are still experiencing pain at the pump as gas prices remain at a staggering high.

In Palo Alto, the cheapest gas can be found at a Shell station at 2200 El Camino Real at $4.99 — that's 61 cents more than the state average for regular gasoline, according to data from AAA and Gas Buddy.

Experts previously pointed to the omicron variant as the culprit for elevated gas prices, but now U.S. energy officials are pointing to rising prices for oil.

"Prices are stable, at a high level," Jeffrey Spring, the Automobile Club of Southern California's corporate communications manager told City News Service. "Gas prices in the region never fell at the same rate as did oil prices when the price dropped from $85 per barrel to around $64 in November and December 2021. Although oil prices have again increased, gas prices around California have remained flat.

"However, we're about to go into the turnaround period when refineries start producing summer blend gasoline, which is more expensive to produce so we'll have to see how that affects gas prices."

And while gas prices inched down slightly across California this week, pump prices are still rising across the country.

The national average price for a gallon of gas is $3.33, two cents more than a week ago and 94 cents more than a year ago.

"Since dipping to $3.28 in the first week of January, the national average for a gallon of gas has slowly started to rise again,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “And as long as the price for oil remains elevated, consumers will be feeling it at the pump."

California remains the most expensive market for gasoline, with an average of $4.38 per gallon, as of Wednesday.