Gas tops $6 a gallon in these California cities. Where to find cheapest prices
The price of gas is steadily increasing in California.
While the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is up $1 since late February, AAA said, gas prices in California recently topped $6 in seven counties.
As of Monday, March 30, a gallon of regular gasoline cost about $5.88 on average, making the Golden State the most expensive state to fill up in the country, the automobile association said.
Here’s where to find the cheapest — and most expensive — gas prices across California:
How much does gas cost in my California city?
As of Monday, a gallon of regular gas in California cost almost $2 more than the national average of $3.99, according to AAA.
Gas prices in the Golden State increased by nearly 10 cents compared to a week ago. Prices are about $1.24 higher compared to a month ago, when gas prices cost $4.64 per gallon, AAA said.
Around this time in 2025, the statewide average was about $4.79 per gallon.
In comparison, the highest average price for regular gas in California was $6.44 in June 2022. Diesel peaked at $7.01 that same month.
As of Monday, March 30, these were the average prices per gallon for regular gas at metropolitan areas around California:
- Bakersfield: $5.82 per gallon
- Chico-Paradise: $5.65
- El Centro: $5.65
- Fresno: $5.77
- Hanford-Corcoran: $5.65
- Los Angeles-Long Beach: $5.99
- Madera-Chowchila: $5.85
- Merced: $5.71
- Modesto: $5.67
- Napa: $5.99
- Oakland: $5.90
- Orange County: $5.93
- Redding: $5.57
- Riverside: $5.84
- Sacramento: $5.75
- Salinas: $5.94
- San Bernardino: $5.86
- San Diego: $5.94
- San Francisco: $6.03
- San Jose: $5.88
- San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles: $5.97
- San Rafael: $6.07
- Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc: $5.78
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $5.82
- Santa Rosa: $6.02
- Stockton-Lodi: $5.69
- Vallejo-Fairfield: $5.82
- Ventura: $5.95
- Visalia-Tulare-Porterville: $5.80
- Yolo: $5.67
- Yuba City: $5.47
Where are the most expensive gas prices in California?
According to AAA, these seven counties had the most expensive gas prices in California as of Monday, all topping $6 for a gallon of regular gasoline:
- Mono County — $6.62 per gallon
- Humbolt County — $6.24
- San Francisco County — $6.07
- Marin County — $6.07
- Sonoma County — $6.03
- San Mateo County — $6.01
- Inyo County — $6.01
Where are the cheapest gas prices in California?
According to AAA, you can still find prices in California cheaper than the statewide average of $5.88 per gallon of regular gas.
Butte, Kings, Imperial, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Tuolumne and Yuba counties have the cheapest gas prices, ranging between $5.43 and $5.69.
Find cheapest gas stations in my area
GasBuddy is a price-tracking website designed to help motorists find the cheapest gas prices in their areas.
You can search for the most affordable gas stations in your area on the GasBuddy website.
Why are gas prices still rising in California?
For the past month, California gas prices have continually risen as a result of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Even though the United States does not import oil from Iran, the conflict can still affect global supply, according to AAA spokesperson Doug Johnson.
The war with Iran has pushed crude oil prices higher, which directly affects what drivers pay at the pump because crude oil is the main ingredient used to make gasoline and diesel.
About half of the price for gasoline comes from the cost of crude oil, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
As of Monday, crude oil was hovering around $112 per barrel, according to Business Insider.
While “a large majority” of the jump in prices has been a result of the conflict in the Middle East, Johnson said, the annual switch to summer-blend gasoline and refinery shutdowns are also pushing prices higher in California.
