Gas prices from around the world
This chart is from CNN's website. Gas prices around the world (in US dollars per gallon).
Pretty astonishing collection of data:
Gasoline prices in the United States, which have recently hit record highs, are actually much lower than in many countries. Drivers in some European cities, like Amsterdam and Oslo, are paying nearly 3 times more than those in the U.S.
The main factor in price disparities between countries is government policy, according to AirInc, a company that tracks the cost of living in various places around the world. Many European nations tax gasoline heavily, with taxes making up as much as 75 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline, said a spokesperson for AirInc.
Netherlands Amsterdam $6.48
Norway Oslo $6.27
Italy Milan $5.96
Denmark Copenhagen $5.93
Belgium Brussels $5.91
Sweden Stockholm $5.80
United Kingdom London $5.79
Germany Frankfurt $5.57
France Paris $5.54
Portugal Lisbon $5.35
Hungary Budapest $4.94
Luxembourg $4.82
Croatia Zagreb $4.81
Ireland Dublin $4.78
Switzerland Geneva $4.74
Spain Madrid $4.55
Japan Tokyo $4.24
Czech Republic Prague $4.19
Romania Bucharest $4.09
Andorra $4.08
Estonia Tallinn $3.62
Bulgaria Sofia $3.52
Brazil Brasilia $3.12
Cuba Havana $3.03
Taiwan Taipei $2.84
Lebanon Beirut $2.63
South Africa Johannesburg $2.62
Nicaragua Managua $2.61
Panama Panama City $2.19
Russia Moscow $2.10
Puerto Rico San Juan $1.74
Saudi Arabia Riyadh $0.91
Kuwait Kuwait City $0.78
Egypt Cairo $0.65
Nigeria Lagos $0.38
Venezuela Caracas $0.12In a few Latin America and Middle-East nations, such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, oil is produced by a government-owned company and local gasoline prices are kept low as a benefit to the nation's citizens, he said. All prices updated March, 2005.
Source:
CNN
http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices/
Monday, May 09, 2005 | 05:35 AM | Permalink
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» Gasoline Pricing from The English Guy
Having lived in the US for ten years or so I think I have become used to the low prices of gasoline in the US. Yes, I said low. I don’t think Americans have any concept of what gasoline costs elsewhere in the world, which is sad because if they ... [Read More]
Tracked on Jul 12, 2005 6:31:21 PM
Comments
The even more important question: How many gallons/litres of gas can you buy for one hour of work - average wages?
With that in mind, the list would be very different.
Posted by: Oyvind | May 9, 2005 8:20:13 AM
The metric of hours of work per gallon of gas would be instructive. But so would the avg gallons of gas purchased per year. Clearly Americans pay a lot less for gas than just about any other industrialized nation, we also drive a great deal more than Europeans, Japanese, etc. So a significant rise in the cost of gasoline hits our pocketbooks far harder than it would in other major Western economies because we use so damn much of it. I'll tell you, I personally could afford $3, $5, even $10 a gallon for gas. But lately, though it doesn't really change my spending habits, I certainly react when I see $50 rung up on the pumps. For folks less financially secure, I can imagine it's quite a punch in the gut.
Posted by: leewhee | May 9, 2005 2:50:44 PM
For Europeans the cheap gas prices in the USA are proverbial.
An urban legend in europe is that in the USA a lot of people do not switch of the engine while for example shopping, so the aircondition is still running when they come back to the car.
Posted by: Tobi | May 9, 2005 3:11:50 PM
So we Dutch have the highest gas prices in the world? Well, you got to get your taxes somewhere, better tax the people ruining my air.
Since the high prices for gas here are mainly due to taxes, the overall economic impact is marginal. Gas taxes are substituting for taxes on things we actually want people to do, like work. That doesn't mean individual behaviour doesn't change. For example, I'm 26 and don't even have a drivers license. I guess that would be rather strange in the US but it is not really a problem here.
Posted by: Rikkert | May 10, 2005 9:51:51 PM
I agree with Tobi and disagree with Oyvind. U.S residents do not NEED to drive more. The way people form the U.S say that is because you are simply used in wasting any type of resources that can be wasted. American do not care about oil scarcity and so on. Just look at the engines you guys use, the of comsumption of gas of american engines are far higher than European countries. I thiese countries the governments are concious about the environmental problem, as well as the supply in the long-run issue. Europens drive less cause in their societies are use to care about the country and everybody else within their society.
Posted by: Phil | Jun 17, 2005 2:52:44 PM
I remember the Oil Crisis of the 70's when folks with the steel "whales" were aghast, demoralized, and desperate to get rid of them. Along came Uncle Sam with CAF standards. Then along came the Big Three and built SUVs on truck chassis's that weren't subject to CAF. And now followed by another Oil Crisis.
What does a 100 pound housewife or her hubby need with a Hummer or Navigator?
Europeans have had diesels for 60 years, plus and have stretched the fuel with efficient engineering. We just waste, make ourselves feel good and burn fuel that other folks NEED.
Hello?
Posted by: Bill Darrach | Jun 20, 2005 6:38:12 PM
Cut out your average European country from a map, then place it on the same scale map as the US. Guess what? Some of you folks live in areas smaller than most of out states. You have an intact mass transportation system, apparently your governments can run your railroads better than ours. At least you have a working rail system for people. We have a mess of a ground mass transportation system. It has us forced into using cars and trucks for getting from here to there. And even we scoff at those who drive Hummers. I drive 82 miles round trip just to get to work in a car that gets 38mpg. There is no other way to get to the job, there is no bus, trolley, interurban or train, just pavement. But in this country, adjusting for inflation, when gas gets to about $3.75 a gallon here, it will cost me just as much as it did my Dad in 1961 at 22 cents a gallon.
Charlie
Posted by: Charlie | Jul 5, 2005 12:09:19 PM
I agree with Charlie. I live in the US and what a lot of us Europeans fail to take into account is the sheer scale. European cities are cramped with the average size of buildings taller than in the US (the US has a LOT more "urban sprawl"). This could be a result of WW2 with Europeans having to rebuild but Americans just kept on building out, bereft of any devastation.
When I first came here I was shocked by the size and scale of the roads. In the UK you have little two lane roads (one each side) for a lot of the roads until you get to main arteries with 4 lanes, or motorways (UK version of "freeway") with 6 lanes or more. Here, there are motorways (6+ lanes) everywhere inside the city, filtering into 4 lanes each side for sections of a neightborhood then finally to your home. It's planned differently so as a consequence mass transit didn't need to develop as fast or as complex as in Europe where it was economical vs having expensive road-building.
Phil - I'm sorry but I respectfully disagree. There is a problem with what you say, and that is the current popular opinion. The nascent green/environment movement is changing and realizing that preaching something unlivable or unworkable, such as going "off-grid" or bicycling everywhere, is a primary reason they have failed thus far. Give Americans something they can -DO- and still live the same way will solve that, and hybrid cars are it. Good milage, sports car versions, give them the do-good feeling AND the bang-for-your-buck feedback they share with the rest of humanity.
Caring about people in their societies, their countries? Europeans? Germany didn't think that way just 60 years ago and Russia isn't such a good bet there either. Please remember that the first heavy industries started in the UK and flourished in the Ruhr Valley, the Europeans are no angels and because you feel good sorting trash into separates or walking everywhere won't abrogate that collective responsibility. You can't blame the Americans for using something the Germans first utilized (Benz "cars") or the British seized Middle Eastern countries to protect; they just do it on a large scale.
You have to give people a workable solution not something that is going to totally disrupt their society, that they will never willingly or happily do. I care about the environment too, but I can't make money with printing, or using electricity, or getting to clients far-flung across the world; it has to be usable. If someone came out with Hydrogen power tomorrow it will STILL take 20 years to get into full-swing. You'd need new tankers, new distribution systems, new car-plants, new car-designs, new production plants, it is like copying the petroleum industry, wow talk about a migraine...
As for gasoline, it is reaching the cost point per barrel of oil where it is feasible for a lot of people to start putting some serious money into finding something else (namely Hydrogen, possibly water). The best thing you can do is to petition your government for higher gasoline taxes or buy hybrids (also has the minor side-effect of lowering sales for the "dirty" car companies).
Posted by: the english guy | Jul 12, 2005 3:24:25 PM
Please don't perpetuate the water engine myth.
Hybrids are the best practical solution. Where will we get the millions of pounds of hydrogen needed for cars? The US will need about 200 more nuclear plants to create all of the electricty needed to product the hydrogen for cars. Not gonna happen.
Posted by: Robert | Jul 13, 2005 2:15:13 PM
As long as Bush wants to wipe out all the forests why not build a few more dams too? Just kidding there... However,
Hydo-electric power is cheap and clean. With current induction coil technology it would seem we could produce near-free electricity for Hydrogen conversion using oceanic wave action. After all, what will Hydrogen sell for when it becomes an alternative fuel for cars and is in bigger demand?
Posted by: Dumbazz? | Aug 12, 2005 6:00:08 PM
All of you speak as if gas is the only use for oil. Hello, stop look around your home and throw out everything that was built with or has used a petroleum based product to produce. I would bet that everyone from you in the cramped Europe to the space hog America to the bike riding Asians will end up with an empty home. No wait is your home painted was it put together with nails, well you will be left with nothing.
Hydrogen sounds like a great idea; however, is it practical. If it coast nothing to drive and our conscience was clear that we were not polluting then we would drive more. If we drove more then we would wear out tire quicker, made from petroleum. More people could afford a vehicle (many many petroleum product go into the production of vehicles) which means more people driving. More roads would need to be built. So have we really cut back on our petroleum consumption?
Posted by: JESSIE | Aug 19, 2005 10:59:33 AM
I thought the war in Iraq was suppose to stabilize gas prices??
Fukk Bush!!
Posted by: MaxPower | Aug 21, 2005 12:12:41 AM
solar power & energy from solar panels is free,,,,50 square miles of solar panels in Arizona, would supply electricity needs for 3 states. Who owns most solar panel companies,,BP OIL AND SHELL OIL!!
Posted by: freeenergy | Aug 22, 2005 1:41:23 AM
We must remember the war in Iraq has nothing to do with the price of our gas. We have to remember it is a business and they use the war as an excuse to inflate prices. It is the business that sets the price of their product, not the government. If they wanted to lower the prices they could, but again money talks.
Posted by: Dainty | Aug 30, 2005 3:34:12 PM
It really bothers me that George Bush, Jr. spends the American money in Iraq, and he is on vacation and than a fund raiser. What about the people of our United States? Being a president means for the whole country, not his rich buddies. He should be going to the areas that got hit by the weather and stop padding the pockets of him and his buddies. The oil wheelers and dealers.
Posted by: Stephanie | Aug 31, 2005 7:46:03 AM
Katrina just gave Big Oil Co's. A reason to do some more price gorging
Posted by: Mark | Aug 31, 2005 11:31:35 AM
"QUOTING leewhee | May 9, 2005 2:50:44 PM
For Europeans the cheap gas prices in the USA are proverbial.
An urban legend in europe is that in the USA a lot of people do not switch of the engine while for example shopping, so the aircondition is still running when they come back to the car.
Responce.....That is the most silly thing I have heard. NO ONE here in the USA leaves their car running when they go shopping. I have never seen someone go in a store, UNLESS its a convenient to pick up a soda or somehting, and leave their car running. Thats crazy!!!!
Posted by: Andrew | Sep 2, 2005 1:04:18 AM
I am an American who has lived in Germany for 8 years during which time the Berlin wall came down. I have also lived in Asia two years.
I can say first hand that the Europeans who have made entries here are self promoting. They are no more environmental conscious than we are in the US. Yes, there are pockets of recycling just like there are in pockets here in the US. Tell me how environmental conscious Germans are with the speed on the Autobahn. If you look at the list of prices by Country you notice that the countries with the highest prices have a socialist public policy. Many of these same countries have a far higher income tax than the US and as well as a 17 % VAT. Europeans may not need a car because the government has built and subsidized the transportation system of busses, subways and trains. When we look at the area of Europe it is less than 1/4 of the area of the US. For example the old State of West Germany (pre-1990) had a population of 60 M while the State of Oregon is the State of the closest size had a population of less than 10 M. The population density is very high. They live close to where they work --- that is those with jobs.
Are any of you aware that we now live in a global economy? The demand for Oil has grown in China by more than 100% over the last two years. India's demand has grown by more than 50 % over the same time while the US with a thriving economy has grown by less than 10%. If the US had a sound energy policy with drilling, refinery additions, and research into alternative fuels 20 years ago there would be a much larger supply and simple economics would dictate the price would be lower per barrel today. Also, the US could tell some middle East Kingdoms where to stick their oil pipe.
Posted by: george | Sep 2, 2005 10:37:01 PM
yeah realy im poor or just about poor these prices are killing me......if we all bought gas from one company wouldnt that force the other companys to lower thier prices? couse last time i looked it cost the same to refine the crude oil yet prices rise.........thats a daymn shame..n guess who has stock in the major oil companies...thats right george w. bush and his daddy this is a travisty i bet the dumbazzes who voted for him are starting to wonder now. peaceeeeee!
Posted by: fawk george | Sep 3, 2005 4:20:00 AM
if gas in other countries is as low as $0.12/gal and crude oil is $70/barrel...lets do the math here......why dont we just buy the already made GAS from these countries
Posted by: sparky | Sep 6, 2005 9:56:34 AM
wow, 6.48? no wonder many of them walk or ride bikes. i'm from saudi where it's just below a dollar, just as reported. many of the reasons why gas is so cheap in saudi is that we don't have strict refining laws, no taxes, no long distances of shipment, and we have no psychological impact from possible shortages.
Posted by: Walid Matar | Sep 11, 2005 6:39:03 PM
i guess bill was doing his job when he was having a cigars with monica
Posted by: kenneth | Sep 27, 2005 10:14:07 AM
Sadly some Americans do leave the car on while shopping. Not many, but some. For example, when they run into a WAWA to grab a bottle of soda real quick. They may leave it on then. I don't think Americans need to drive more. I being one of them, wish I could walk everywhere, or take the subway. However, I live just outside of Philadelphia, in lower Bucks County, and I have to drive to get places. From my house to school. From my house to work, and to the movies, and the malls. I wish I lived in a city. I can't wait until I move to Tokyo.
- Rachel
Posted by: Rachel | Apr 13, 2006 3:40:34 PM
The most important factor for U.S to bring down oil prices is to build new refineries. They have about 180 of them as opposed to 360 back in 1980. Last oil refinery tht was built was in 1979. This crap about enviromentalists etc etc is bull.... I know and all u knw that if a govt needed to build new refineries (at LEAST ONE NEW ONE SINCE 1976) they WOULD. but... as someone stated above some poeple have their little stocks in the oil economy... Now why would they go lower them prices huh?
Posted by: sicher | Apr 17, 2006 12:51:53 AM
Yeah, yeah....Bush Eats puppies too. He also causes global warming. Single handedly caused WWI, and WWII,
And let's not forget the dinosaurs. We all know he caused them to become extinct. You must be really ignorant to think Bush controls gas prices. Look above ! America is amongst the lower gas wages. EXXON made 300% profit in the last 2 years.
Something has to be done about coroporate greed. Not our President. He loves America, and what it stands for. At least he's not a quitter, like most of the Americans who have turned their backs on him, because of hard times that are out of his control. Again He had a good deal of support for the war till things went badly. Then "americans" complain,and say get out and let the people of Iraq suffer.
Posted by: Robert | Apr 19, 2006 8:39:04 AM
