Road trip! Mexico gas prices still lower than U.S.

The good people at the Discover Baja Travel Club posted recent Mexico gasoline prices observed in El Rosario, Baja. According to their research the price for Magna, the equivalent to regular unleaded, is about $2.83 per gallon. That's U.S. dollars, not pesos.

How does this compare to the U.S. border states? According to the American Automobile Association's Daily Fuel Gage Report, the average price for regular unleaded as of September 8, 2008 is:

Arizona: $3.57 per gallon

California: $3.86 per gallon

New Mexico: $3.69 per gallon

Texas: $3.52 per gallon

Many U.S. residents who live close to the border are capitalizing on the lower prices by popping over to Mexico and filling up their tanks. However U.S. Customs has said that if you go to Mexico solely to purchase fuel, it must be declared when crossing back into the states and is subject to importation requirements.

As you may or may not know the gasoline industry in Mexico is controlled by the government and PEMEX, which is an acronym for Petróleos Mexicanos, is the nationalized petroleum company. Thus prices are standardized across the country.

Unless you find yourself on a remote backcountry road running on "E." (Why are you about to be stranded this way? Is it because you overheard a conversation in a Tucson bar talking about a mythic beach south of Kino Bay? Is it because you listened to a helpful, but misguided, local who told you "Oh, it's not that far" when you asked directions?) Then, if you're lucky, you might find a grizzled ranchero who drives to town once a week to fill up a barrel for just such an emergency. At this point you should be aware that his price per liter will not conform to state regulations.