San Mateo County sees some of the highest gas prices in California

“Every state needs to have a winter blend and a summer blend,” Treanor said. “But that means oil refineries have to spend more money to make it. It also means when you transition to the summer blend, you have to completely shut down the oil refinery, clean it and prepare it.”

The last couple of years have seen increased statewide efforts to stem price hikes, however, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom spearheading an effort to create an oversight department that aims to prevent price gouging by large oil corporations. But California still remains the most expensive state to buy gas — almost 50% higher than the national average — and because it typically makes the switch from the winter to summer blend earlier than other states, coupled with stronger environmental standards, this time of year can prove particularly costly for drivers.

In San Mateo County, the average prices for regular gasoline sat around $5.62 per gallon as of Tuesday, April 23, higher than the $5.52 average cost in Santa Clara County and slightly lower than San Francisco’s $5.68 price per gallon, according to data from AAA. While the increases likely contribute to consumers’ day-to-day routines — where to buy groceries or whether to work remote, for instance — Treanor said, since pandemic restrictions were lifted, long-distance travel doesn’t seem as impacted.

“We saw this shift where, maybe during the regular day, we drove less, or we carpooled more … but when it came to bigger trips, trips of 50 miles or more, we saw record numbers of travels,” he said. “It’s interesting to see these two polar opposites happening, where we’ll make changes, but not if it requires us to cancel trips or vacations.”

Peter Williamson, a San Francisco-based interior architect who commutes to San Mateo about once a week, said he usually doesn’t pay much attention to the costs, as he typically relies on public transit to get around. But a gas station near his home selling premium gas for over $6 per gallon recently caught his eye, and the prospect of purchasing an electric vehicle is increasingly attractive.  

“I would love to have an electric vehicle, but where I live, my condo doesn’t have the infrastructure for it, so it would be impractical for me,” he said.  

Demand for electric vehicles certainly seems correlated with long-term cost burden of gas-powered cars, especially in states like California, where, though not ubiquitous, there is still more charging infrastructure than other states. And while electric vehicle purchases have slowed more recently, the state comprised about 25% of the country’s electric vehicle market share last year, according to data from the nonprofit Veloz.  

“As gas prices increase, more Americans are interested in EVs, especially in states like California, because a lot of what people fear with EVs is if the infrastructure will be there,” Treanor said. “California has a more robust infrastructure than a place like Montana.”

The national average for regular gas as of April 23 was about $3.67 per gallon. Santa Clara and Contra Costa saw some of the lowest average prices for regular fuel among the nine Bay Area counties.