Average Columbia gas price teeters near $4 a gallon. Pay the least at these 6 spots
Columbia motorists were just a penny away from paying $4 for a gallon of regular gasoline on average Tuesday morning.
Still, residents do have some cheaper options in the area, if they know where to look.
According to AAA South Carolina, prices at the pump have skyrocketed to their highest levels in a decade, climbing $0.41 over the past week in the state.
The average price for a gallon of gas was $3.97 in South Carolina Tuesday morning. Columbia’s average price was slightly higher at $3.99 a gallon Tuesday morning. Motorists had to pay just $2.52 a gallon on average in Columbia a year ago.
The highest recorded average price in Columbia was $4.209 in September 2008 for a gallon of regular unleaded.
“Unfortunately this isn’t the end of seeing prices rise at the pump,” said Tiffany Wright, spokesperson, AAA – The Auto Club Group in the Carolinas. “Motorists could continue to see record-high prices at the pump because of the high oil prices that are surging due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Sanctions and regulations against Russia has limited its ability to sell its oil on the global market, which has intensified global supply concerns in what was already a tight market due to the pandemic.”
The U.S. price of oil surged 26% last week, rising a little more than $24 a barrel. An increase of that magnitude translates to a $0.60 increase at the pump. This could yield another $0.10 to $0.15 increase at the pump, AAA states.
But while the average cost for gas has nearly reached $4 a gallon, some service stations in the area still offer fuel that’s noticeably cheaper. Here are the six places to find the cheapest gas in Columbia and the surrounding area on Tuesday, according to GasBuddy.com.
- Citgo: 812 Meeting St., West Columbia — $3.79 a gallon
- Marathon: 426 Columbia Ave., Lexington — $3.80 a gallon
- CK Mart: 3805 River Drive & Lucius Road, Columbia — $3.85 a gallon
- Walmart: 1355 Knox Abbott Drive, Cayce — $3.79 a gallon
- BP: 806 Broad River Road, Columbia — $3.89 a gallon
- Murphy Express: 201 Bush River Road, Columbia — $3.89 a gallon
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 12:06 PM.
