Financial planning firm Credit Sesame has just released a new infographic which describes gasoline prices and usage rates around the world.
First off, a gallon of gas is 6 cents in oil-rich Venezuela. The lowest price I can recall in the U.S. was 84 cents, when I was like 7, during the Reagan administration. Six cents is much cheaper than the cheapest of bottled water in this country. Six cents is cheaper than a stick of gum. Six Swedish Fish are six cents. Ridic.
Regardless, prices aren’t so bad in the U.S., as compared to the rest of the world. A gallon costs $9.63 in Turkey and $9.16 in Italy. Granted, people in those countries don’t drive nearly as much as those in the U.S. or Canada, which see average gas prices of $3.94 and $5.68 respectively. Gas in China is $4.54 a gallon, similar to what it costs in the U.S., though Americans use about 39 times more.
The biggest gas consumers are the U.S., Canada and Australia, which has to do with the sheer vastness of the land masses. Also, driving is a cultural thing in these countries. One of the reasons mass transit might not be so popular, is that people like their cars. And one literally can’t just drive 8 or 30 hours straight in many European counties – there isn’t enough space. In the U.S., gas is most expensive in California, at $4.19 a gallon, and cheapest in Oklahoma, at $3.48.
As the presidential election draws near, expect gas prices to fall for a while. Also, a recent study has revealed that 36% of Americans are now having to give something up in order to pay for gasoline.
