Gas Costs Too Much But It’s Still Cheaper Here in Missouri

Every time I go back to Chicago I always get sticker shock when I'm filling up my car's gas tank. It's just expensive in Chicagoland, and even more expensive if you're forced to fill up in Chicago proper. Especially compared to what we pay for gas around Missouri. Yet there's some good news for Missouri drivers.

Lately, I've been getting that same sticker shock at the Murphy Mart in Warrensburg where I fill up regularly. Gas has gotten expensive. And at some point, it tipped over $3.00 a gallon. I really thought the prices would stop rising right about $3.00. But, no, they just keep rising.

The good news. Gas in Missouri, where the average price is $3.17 a gallon, is the cheapest average gas price in the United States. Yup, we're paying less for gasoline than everyone else in America. If that's not a little bit of good news, I don't know what is.

The average price is $319 in Arkansas. $3.20 in Kansas and Oklahoma and $3.21 in Texas. These prices, by the way, come from AAA Gas Prices. Illinois, by far has the highest gas prices in the midwest with an average price of $3.69 a gallon.

So why is it costing us so much at the pump? The same thing that's been driving price increases for a while now. Elevated crude prices. The cost of oil. Heck, AAA Gas Prices in an article they published last Thursday talks about a little bit of decreased demand for gasoline right now, which normally would lower the price at the pump. But not this time.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are also contributing to higher prices because any sanctions placed on Russia based on their actions toward Ukraine might cause Russia to withhold crude oil from the global market.

I didn't even see any good news in AAA Gas Prices report that makes me think we'll be paying any less anytime soon.

So at least take comfort in the fact our gas is the cheapest in the country. That's something, right?  Yeah, no. That doesn't help very much when you have a thirsty vehicle and you see your cost climbing higher and higher with every fill-up.