ME TV FM 97.5 logo
Get our free mobile app

Do you ever wonder why gas 5 miles away is so much cheaper?

I'm sitting here steaming as I wait in traffic to cross the bridge into Northport Alabama just to buy cheaper gas. Gasoline is at least 20 cents cheaper a gallon in Northport compared to Tuscaloosa. Sometimes gas is  30 cents cheaper than a gallon in Tuscaloosa.

508480011
Getty Images/Blend Images
loading...

This happens in so many cities in Alabama.

If you drive a truck or SUV that holds 25 gallons, as mine does, it adds up quickly.

GM Unveils New Sierra Silverado Pickup Truck
Getty Images
loading...

That’s a case of beer a week! That’s a chicken wing dinner at Baumhower’s! That’s a Chinese delivery from Mr. Chen’s!

I know we all miss the days of $2 dollar gas.

2003
Justin Sullivan // Getty Images
loading...

Today, near my home in Tuscaloosa, gas was $3.29 a gallon. Over the bridge in Northport gas was $3.04 a gallon.

This makes absolutely no sense.

Why the consistent gas price discrepancy?

I understand a few cents here and there, but this is consistently more than a few cents.

Conflict
Tatiana Gladskikh
loading...

Gas is definitely cheaper in Northport.

Does Tuscaloosa not feel the need to be competitive with Northport when it comes to the price of gasoline? Especially with the gas prices the way they are.

Powell
loading...

Tripp Powell with Powell Petroleum said, “The reason is competition.

No other reason. Cost is no different. Mainly Walmart Neighborhood Market and Murphy at Walmart Super Center use gas as a foot traffic driver and not a profit generator”.

Also, Is there a municipal gas tax that is less in Northport than in Tuscaloosa? Enquiring minds want to know.

Find the absolute cheapest gas in the Tuscaloosa/Northport area at www.gasbuddy.com

LOOK: These are the richest women in America

From self-made businesswomen to heirs of wealthy American dynasties, these are the 50 richest women in America, compiled from Forbes data by Stacker.  

Gallery Credit: Madison Troyer

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

READ MORE: Here are 50 ways you can improve your work from home lifestyle