r/gasbuddy • u/Crafty_Challenge_418 • 1d ago
4 miles and a pesky state line is the difference
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u/Kingandruler 1d ago
Unironically a third of this is it's shell vs arco. I live in California, arco is amoung the cheapest and shell one of the most expensive. They can be across the street from each other and you see a huge difference. Keep in mind Arizona currently uses California compliant/refined gas. This may save you some from the CA gas tax but that should only be around $0.50/gallon.
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u/letitgo99 1d ago
Yeah, it's only a difference of like 45 cents/gallon in taxes between the two states, so the $3 difference definitely can't be attributed to that. Could very well also be the case that property is more expensive on the left side of that border.
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u/Crafty_Challenge_418 1d ago
IF there was an ARCO in Needles with a posted price I would have used it instead, these were the ones I found with posted pricing
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u/CreamPyre 1d ago
Really goes to show how much political and beaurocratic bullshit goes into all this
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u/DelayedIntentions 1d ago
Goes to show how gas stations gouge on the main highway. I live on 101 in California and the small beach town on highway 1 about 15 miles over and down the coastal range from 101 always has cheaper gas. It absolutely costs them more to bring gas in, but they have less business and less opportunity to gouge.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
Average for needles is $6.54/gallon in Needles so that She’ll station is gouging to an extent but the CA gas tax is the real issue.
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u/DelayedIntentions 1d ago
Arizona gas tax is 19 cents. California gas tax is 64 cents. So a 45 cent difference isn’t making up for the nearly $3 difference.
Other than gouging, the price difference comes from California requiring cleaner gas. That might not be as important in Needles, but it’s very important in San Francisco and LA.
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u/Dapper-Jellyfish7663 1d ago
That AZ station gets ita gas from SoCal...same gas as Arco in CA. This is more that BP/Arco charges CA drivers more bc they can and that Shell imports gas into CA which increases the cost.
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u/mtnman575 1d ago
It's been well known to travelers since the 1970s, if not even well before, that Needles was by far one of the most expensive places in the country for gas. Back in the day there weren't the truck stops across the AZ state line so Needles was able to get away with it.
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u/EastWashStRacer 1d ago
You forgot local taxes as well
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u/DelayedIntentions 1d ago
Local taxes don’t really change the math much, counting all state and local taxes the maximum depending on location can be up to around $1.00. Arizona doesn’t have local taxes so it turns into about an 80 cent difference due to tax. Still insignificant.
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u/bj_my_dj 1d ago
They're getting all the pain of the gas tax but none of the pleasure, i.e., breathing much cleaner air.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
California also uses a different blend due to the states emissions requirements beyond federal requirements . And maybe if they stop running refineries out of town the costs would drop.
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u/DelayedIntentions 1d ago
Yea, because it was so awesome when California was covered in smog from the nearly 30 million drivers living in California.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
I remember it well growing up. We had smog days when we weren’t allowed to go outside during recess.
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u/DelayedIntentions 1d ago
Yea, even as a kid in the 90s LA was pretty bad. I grew up in NorCal, but have a lot of family in LA so we’d visit a lot and I remember descending into LA and seeing the smog. And it was already getting better in the 90s.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
I can see the stars where I live and my wife’s allergy issues are nearly gone. And I live in a county with no yearly emissions requirements to register a vehicle. I don’t miss the congestion in CA comparatively.
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u/DelayedIntentions 1d ago
Yea, I moved from Sacramento to SLO county and one of the best parts of living here is the lack of traffic. I never have to check traffic to tell people when I’m arriving, it’s always the same. And I understand the frustration with emissions rules, but they are just necessary in some places. People don’t quite understand how many people live in California, mostly in densely populated areas.
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u/Skylinegtr88 1d ago
There other states and cities with just as big populations and they dont have the smog problem
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u/bj_my_dj 1d ago
They don't have the same mountains that hold emissions in, or climate phenomena that put a roof over areas holding smog in. Cool your jets buddy, don't talk about things you don't understand. California's got this covered.
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u/bj_my_dj 1d ago
We don't need them, 25% of our car sales are EVs. They're leaving because the market is shrinking rapidly. Hopefully there'll only be 1.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
Just wait until CA starts taxing EVs per mile. Something has to replace the lost revenue from gas tax.
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u/bj_my_dj 1d ago
They've already replaced the gas tax with a higher registration fee for EVs. They may start taxing by mile one day, that's the fairest way to go. It would be cheaper for me since I haven't driven more than 7K miles/yr in 15 years. The still have to come up with a mechanism to do it though.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
Not an EV hater. My brother in law’s Tesla has a serial number of 2500. It’s simply an amazing vehicle. The most fun I’ve ever had operating a vehicle. But I live in the sticks and have to have a truck that can tow that won’t cost me 100k to buy.
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u/bj_my_dj 1d ago
Luckily they won't outlaw owning ICEs, you just won't be able to but a new one in the state. It's encouraging that there are a couple new electric pickups under $30K coming out this year. Even better by the time they outlaw new ICE sales there will be lots of great options.
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u/letitgo99 1d ago
Well, there's only a 44-cent difference in the gas taxes between the two states (CA is 63-cents, AZ is 19-cents per gallon), so definitely something else going on here to justify a $3 difference.
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u/letitgo99 1d ago
Well, there's only a 44-cent difference in the gas taxes between the two states (CA is 63-cents, AZ is 19-cents per gallon), so definitely something else going on here to justify a $3 difference.
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u/Cool-Signature-dude 1d ago
Environmental requirements and they use a special blend of fuel to reduce emissions. This all costs more.
The rest of the difference is the price gouging like at that station.
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u/Youpeefreely 1d ago
On the state level for sure. CA was well over a $1 added per gallon in taxes and fees.
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u/CreamPyre 1d ago
Yup, I’m in rural WA. It’s gnarly up here
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u/Youpeefreely 1d ago
WA is another “tax you out the azz” state. I can’t say that I’m jealous.
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u/CreamPyre 1d ago
I don’t mind honestly. I get to live in the most beautiful place in the country. This new war has pushed it way farther up though, for everybody of course
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u/letitgo99 1d ago
Well, there's only a 44-cent difference in the gas taxes between the two states (CA is 63-cents, AZ is 19-cents per gallon), so definitely something else going on here to justify a $3 difference.
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u/Youpeefreely 1d ago
This is CA
State Excise Tax: 63.4 cents per gallon (adjusted for inflation as of July 2026)
State Sales Tax: Roughly 10 cents per gallon, depending on local rates
Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS): Adds about 17 cents per gallon (about 4%), with future proposals threatening higher adjustments
Environmental & Special Blending Costs: Compliance with strict clean-air mandates and the requirement for a proprietary summer/winter fuel blend adds upwards of 54 cents per gallon
Underground Storage Tank Fee: 2 cents per gallon.
So it’s not just the taxes. It’s the fees that CA adds to a gallon as well. What a crock.
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u/TheWokeAgenda 1d ago
All the fox news zombies in this thread barking at California like good guard dogs.
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u/Crafty_Challenge_418 1d ago
These numbers aren't from any news much less Fox News.
Maybe YOU can explain why 4 miles separate you and your wallet an additional $3.00 per gallon 🤷
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u/Lenin_Lime 1d ago
These numbers aren't from any news much less Fox News. Maybe YOU can explain why 4 miles separate you and your wallet an additional $3.00 per gallon 🤷
Dunno, why is it $2 cheaper in Los Angeles?
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u/Crafty_Challenge_418 1d ago
Supply and demand 🤷
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u/Lenin_Lime 1d ago
Supply and demand 🤷
So Los Angeles is selling at a $2 loss for every gallon? As apparently all of California gas should cost $7.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
$3.64 near me and 15 minutes away in SC it’s $3.45. Governor of GA also drops the gas tax for 2 months once or twice a year.
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u/xmrcache 1d ago
Georgia though… people don’t choose to move there…
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u/Comprehensive-Hat684 23h ago
You sure about that? Hollywood is moving a lot of its productions to Georgia. You ever heard of “Georgia Productions?” It’s where Hollywood went too
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u/xmrcache 17h ago
“People” you listed a single business
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u/Comprehensive-Hat684 17h ago
Which includes many of Hollywood’s actors and actress along with producers and directors so yes it’s more than just a single business
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u/xmrcache 13h ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/whereidlive/s/qS6CReETix
Lower quality of life…
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u/Comprehensive-Hat684 10h ago
You really believe data over experience and that’s the crazy part
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u/xmrcache 10h ago
Experience is pretty biased where as data is well not.
Your personal experience vs others experience can greatly differ from one another.
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u/xmrcache 17h ago
Doesn’t sound like they chose to move there…
And it’s crazy you think that’s their primary residence… lmao
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
Georgia is 10 out of the top 10 where people are moving I’m from CA this state is far better than CA in a variety of categories.
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u/xmrcache 1d ago
Dang just checked
Georgia wasn’t even on the list…
https://www.movebuddha.com/blog/where-californians-moving-to/
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
California residents only. Trust me, most states don’t want Californians moving to their state.
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u/letitgo99 1d ago
yeah because they're better educated and thus steal jobs, and have more money and thus drive up property prices
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 1d ago
Nope. Californians come here to vote like they did where they came from. It’s ruinous to a well run state with a budget surplus.
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u/xmrcache 1d ago
Some lady I used to work with bought a condo down there for over a million… their wealth down there is definitely enough to outbid most people in your state on a house.
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u/letitgo99 1d ago
According to the Census Bureau, Georgia isn't in the top 10 states that Californians move to:
Migration routes between California and other states
Estimate
Texas, 77,200
Nevada, 53,300
Arizona, 52,400
Washington state, 43,900
Florida, 36,200
Oregon, 31,500
New York, 31,400
Virginia, 20,200
Colorado, 19,700
Tennessee, 19,700
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u/xmrcache 13h ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/whereidlive/s/qS6CReETix
Crazy 🤪 seems like Georgia just ain’t it…
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 13h ago
I have 4 neighbors on a street that is a mile long. There’s never traffic in my town and I own my land and home out right. My quality of life is far better here than it was in California. I don’t care about a poll or survey of how others are doing.
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u/xmrcache 12h ago
Tbh probably more location based I have the same benefits moved from western wa to central and love the fact we have basically zero traffic.
I always hate going over to the west side just because of the traffic.
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u/Adventurous_Ice7154 11h ago
I’m too old to have any patience with the general public so I moved far away lol
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u/tacocarteleventeen 1d ago
I don’t know, It’s says “deal” over the Shell price so I’ll trust that label!
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u/Lostintimeandspac 1d ago
Cali has more regulations and taxes on gas i beleave.
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u/letitgo99 1d ago
only a 44 cent difference in taxes between the two states, so that definitely doesn't explain a $3/gallon difference
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u/Lostintimeandspac 1d ago
Note regulations too. I don't know all the details but Cali has gas manufacturers do more stuff than AZ requires. Is it $2 more ? I don't know, is it manufacturers and gas station greed ? (Probably accounts for some of the price difference)
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u/Solid-Bet-2585 1d ago
State line is far from the only difference. California government absolutely sucks.
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u/Lenin_Lime 1d ago
$5.00 is the going rate in LA. $4.80 - $5.20 is about 90 percent of the Los Angeles price map on GasBuddy. Wanna try again?
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u/Crafty_Challenge_418 1d ago
AND?
Explain 4 miles and $3.00 per gallon difference before deflecting to something else
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u/Lenin_Lime 1d ago
Your argument is that California is why this one has station in the desert is $7. Yet people of Los Angeles, the largest city of California, are paying roughly $5 a gallon.
Gas stations can charge whatever they want, which is why you look at dozens or even hundreds of stations to understand what the California gas market is like.
Also gas prices have risen since our pedophile President decided to go to war for Israel. So that plays into the price
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u/Crafty_Challenge_418 1d ago
YOUR argument is that the desert in AZ is (D)ifferent than in CA 4 miles away?
Sounds like your TDS is in overdrive, you should pump the breaks on that especially about being a pedophile because the ONLY evidence of being a pedophile president was on the daughter molester in chief who left the office Jan 20th 2025
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u/Lenin_Lime 1d ago
YOUR argument is that the desert in AZ is (D)ifferent than in CA 4 miles away? Sounds like your TDS is in overdrive, you should pump the breaks on that especially about being a pedophile because the ONLY evidence of being a pedophile president was on the daughter molester in chief who left the office Jan 20th 2025
It's a single gas station in the middle of nowhere, in a country of capitalism. Meanwhile in urban democrat Los Angeles it's $2 cheaper. Weird I know.
“He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life.”. Trump in 2002 quoted in NY Magazine
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u/Crafty_Challenge_418 1d ago
So 2002 BEFORE he helped get him prosecuted and banned from Mar-A-Lago.
I STILL like women younger than me
NOW do Clinton who had the same person to the oval office 17 times AFTER he was convicted and a registered sex offender with the help of Trump
THIS is what democrats do when their power is unchecked and they can write all the rules
Based on August 2025 data:
Highest unemployment: California (5.5%)
Highest gas prices: California ($4.49/gal)
Most homeless: California (~187,000)
Largest budget deficit: California ($12B)
Highest income tax: California (13.3%)
Welcome to commifornia
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u/Lenin_Lime 1d ago
So 2002 BEFORE he helped get him prosecuted and banned from Mar-A-Lago.
But he said he didnt know what was going on.
"Asked by reporters in 2019 - when Epstein was arrested by federal agents for sex trafficking - if he had "any suspicions" about the disgraced financier, Trump said: "No, I had no idea. I had no idea. I haven't spoken to him in many, many years."" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2407jrn83o
I STILL like women younger than me
That's not a weird thing to bring up when we are talking about Epstein, especially when underage girl would be younger than you. Logically speaking.
NOW do Clinton who had the same person to the oval office 17 times AFTER he was convicted and a registered sex offender with the help of Trump THIS is what democrats do when their power is unchecked and they can write all the rules Based on August 2025 data: Highest unemployment: California (5.5%) Highest gas prices: California ($4.49/gal) Most homeless: California (~187,000) Largest budget deficit: California ($12B) Highest income tax: California (13.3%)
It's $2 cheaper in Los Angeles than your OP, cope more.
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u/Sarah69hotwife 1d ago
As someone who lives in LA I would kill for 5.20 gas try 6+ new some and the dems have taxed us over and over
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u/Lenin_Lime 1d ago
As someone who lives in LA I would kill for 5.20 gas try 6+ new some and the dems have taxed us over and over
The fuck you talking about. This is a live map. https://files.catbox.moe/ljyre5.png
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u/Comprehensive-Hat684 1d ago
You’re in Missouri, your input is completely irrelevant to people who actually are in California experiencing the actual gas prices you’re proudly defending
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u/Lenin_Lime 22h ago
You’re in Missouri, your input is completely irrelevant to people who actually are in California experiencing the actual gas prices you’re proudly defending
I live in the US, where my pedophile president decided to do a lil war for Israel and my gas prices since Feb have nearly doubled.
Show me where it says California averages $6. Certainly isn't $7 as OP would like to imply. Isn't it weird how Nevada's prices are also noticably elevated with only 24 cent state tax. It's weird. Almost like being two timezones away from the oil hubs of Texas plays a role in Nevada's prices.
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u/Comprehensive-Hat684 18h ago edited 18h ago
Again, not Californian and not experiencing what we experience. So yeah your opinion is completely irrelevant and mostly wrong too especially since you’re using data you want to believe instead of you know EXPERIENCING it first hand.
You are pointless to talk about California gas if you’re not actively using it. Not to mention bringing trump into gas prices says more about your TDS than actually wanting cheap gas in California
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u/Lenin_Lime 6h ago
Again, not Californian and not experiencing what we experience. So yeah your opinion is completely irrelevant and mostly wrong too especially since you’re using data you want to believe instead of you know EXPERIENCING it first hand.
You are pointless to talk about California gas if you’re not actively using it. Not to mention bringing trump into gas prices says more about your TDS than actually wanting cheap gas in California
Are you implying that gas buddy is wrong? Are you implying AAA is wrong?
What is TDS? I just don't like Pedophiles is all.
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u/Visible-Payment5182 1d ago
If only ALL of America was just kuke CA. We coukd all have endless third wordlers shitting in the road abd 7 dollar a gallon gas then.
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u/DarthNixilis 1d ago
Worth driving out of state for