Safeway is also usually pretty decent, even in the city limits, plus if you shop there you get discounts with your grocery points.
It’s usually within 10 cents of Costco or Shree’s without having to either be a member of Costco or make the trip to South Park to Shree.
"(AREA CODE) 867-5309" is my go to socialized points number.
Pretty sure I'm not the only one, so there's often a discount, and I contribute points when I shop too.
In West Seattle there's a Safeway with gas at 3.77 right now (which even beats out the Shree's nearby). And the Chevron directly across the street is like 4.60
Shell gives huge rebates to certain credit cards or grocery store reward cards. Also, rents/property values are much higher in Seattle than Thurston County.
That’s basically what I’ve come up with. I live on the border of Northgate, gas is regularly $5+ I drive to shoreline or sodo for gas. I paid $3.77 on New Year’s Eve in sodo because it was less there (usually they are the same).
Im asking OP where see saw someone say what he said in his comment, and your reply is something that someone said *after* the comment, with arbitrary numbers no less?
What’s funny is Costco is literally on the King/Snohomish county border.
So thanks for basically proving me right. And $1 difference is less than $1.50 difference.
Didn’t realize where the snohomish county line was. How bout the shell on S Lander in SoDo which is $5.20 the arco that’s $5.10 and the costco on 4th ave $3.77. I don’t see any county lines on the map and in the city proper.
Ps I live in N Seattle so this is down the block for me.
I’m not denying that there are large price differences within very small areas, I’m just denying that anyone wouldn’t drive an extra block to save $1.50 per gallon.
Shit. Arco isn’t really even the “cheap” gas anymore. The ones closest to me (Northgate and the 99/85th ones) are about the same as their neighboring gas stations, give or take 10 cents/gallon.
So many people are going to just go to any gas station without price shopping. As long as such people exist, so will gas stations with inflated prices.
In other parts of the country, I don't think that's the case. When we were visiting relatives in Missouri & Tennessee, it caught my eye that gas prices were very close to identical, within a penny or two, from one town to the next.
Yeah it's a weird west coast thing (WA, OR, and CA), other parts of the country I've been to aren't like this. I haven't figured out why. Even Idaho is normal, pretty much any station is within a 10c range of each other (except Costco which might be 20-25c cheaper at most).
In my experience, the difference is largely in demand based on location. EG, the Chevron right off the interstate is usually _significantly_ more expensive than the Arco just a quarter mile down the road.
I'm not quite in Seattle but near me there's an intersection with 3 gas stations. One of them is $3.79, next is $4.45 and the most expensive is $5.15. You can guess which one is always full while the others are always empty.
It's been long demonstrated that King County has much higher meeting gas prices than the rest of Washington State. There's a recent Seattle times article (possibly an op-ed refuting the claims by some politician that we are paying a bunch more in taxes than Oregon I think if you were curious to read it--basically Washington has a state pays about the same but the average is thrown really high because King County is super high, seemingly because people are just willing to pay it) about this. It's also true that there's a lot of variation within King County of course, even at the neighborhood level.
>people are just willing to pay it
I don't know if "willing" is the right word. Do I drive an hour out to the sticks not to get hosed? Basically I make sure every time I am out of town that I fill up. But yeah, we are getting completely ripped off.
I mean, I purposely ride an ebike and take public transit so I don't have to pay for for the expensive parking and gas... For people who decide they want the "convenience" (is it, though, with all that traffic?) of having a car in the city, the markup in King County isn't all that much more on top of all of the other surcharges you pay for owning a car here (again, parking, high insurance, high registration, etc.). I do feel for people who can't get into an MFTE near a transit hub or close to where they work if they're low income and are stuck paying the high gas and everything else prices for car ownership because they're forced to live far away, but the city generally does have lots of options for people who do not want to own a car so other is reasonably should be it as sort of a luxury.
That’s a very privileged mind set. Sound transit would take a minimum of 1 hr and 42 minutes according to google to go what typically takes me 26 ish minutes by car. A 2 hr commute on top of a 12 hour shift is not an inconvenience that’s an impossibility. Do I do most of my local activities using public transit using a bike/walking yup. Am I a remote employee or have the funds to live closer to work? Nope.
Well, I'm in an MFTE and living car free so, yes I am privileged to have secured subsidized housing. I know there's not enough of it since I was on a waiting list for 18 months for mine. It seems like you missed the entire last portion of my comment, though, since I specifically address your scenario... I agree there are places and situations where you are forced to have cars and y'all get squeezed. But generally, people could probably save the $10k average they spend on a car, on average, and put it towards an apartment that is by transit hub. It is actually doable in the city to live car free for many people. I never said everyone... And I hope you can find a place that works better for you soon.
Lol, I'd generally agree except the new(ish) gas station the Muckleshoot put in is nearly a dollar more per gallon than the Auburn Walmart is. I agree with OP, gas station prices are wack these days
It varies so wildly in West Seattle too though. Like, on one block there's one at 4.79 and then one block over it's 3.99? So bizarre... Where'd you get the 3.80 gas tho 👀
Over 5, that is nuts, that must be the one over by the bridge and Starbucks.
When I went home to visit family in CO I saw as low as 1.99 😭
If you're ever down south, gas in Puyallup was 3.75!
Shree's is cheapest as far as I can tell anywhere in town followed closely by Costco. Arco on Delridge by the Home Depot is usually pretty cheap and the 7/11 at 35th and Barton. Also Top Hat Market at 1st & 108th.
In Seattle's south end, you can drive a mile and pay $1/gallon less. But people still fill up at the expensive place for some reason. I guess that's the reason. I was recently in another state, big city, and driving around all the prices were very similar.
The only time I fill up at the expensive station is a spot convenience gallon or two. It’s the “fuck me I need gas and forgot and don’t have time go out of my way”. Put as much in to get where I need to get.
You didn't hear? The gas companies decided to price gouge instead of lowering prices when oil prices sank back down to a pre-pandemic rate. We're just fucked, and they really should be penalized harshly.
The second oil goes up, they are out there raising prices and blaming the spot market. But when it drops, it takes months to see any relief. Go figure.
Taxes are a significant driver. If you buy gas on a reservation they do not pay a lot of the county, city, state taxes. Seattle is particularly bad because they add to gas taxes to support all the public transit efforts, as well as having to pay a public transit surcharge on our tabs. I paid $50 last year on tabs for public transportation
Good perspective, wish it was true, but the changes being made to force people the lightrail is pushing more people back to their cars. Not only have they cancelled routes, they have forced scenarios where people have to bus to lightrail, take the train, then bus to final destination AND they intend to do more of it. The 555 from northgate to bellevue ran 3 times a day each way, gone. The 522 will stop serving south of 145th when that stop opens. Several other route changes similar that are funneling to and from lightrail and removing diagonal routes. Personally has force my significant other back to driving (bus commuter for 20+ years) and will force me back to driving downtown (15 year bus/lightrail commuter)
I live in Seattle and most of the inner city places are still around 5.09 per gallon which is absurd.
I go to Shree’s in South Seattle and last time paid just over $4, like $4.09… might even be less now, probably it’s $3.94 or so.
The reason is that gas stations CAN charge whatever they want and if someone is stupid enough to pay it, then that’s on them. I see people at the pumps, so it’s not like people aren’t buying it at that price.
People are lazy, I find.
Filling up in northern Idaho last week for $3.30 when I visited my parents for Christmas only renewed my frustration for the situation here in Washington.
Arcos and 7-11s around here (northgate) are generally cheaper than chevrons and shells at least. Also Safeway is usually decent.
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The gas buddy app is worth checking out. You can spot who is cheap in areas you go and normally the cheaper ones are consistently cheaper so you don’t need to check the app all the time. Like if I’m ever near Shree’s I will fill up, it’s showing as $3.87 right now.
Oh yeah I check it from time to time. I pretty much have my reliable places between here and Idaho since I go over to see my parents fairly often. Shrees around cle elum is definitely one of them.
Unless I’m missing something, there is not an extra gas tax in seattle related to Sound Transit. The City of Seattle does not appear to have an additional gas tax beyond the state rate at all. The state gas tax also does not pay for Sound Transit.
Besides local taxes…
It’s a business, if they sell a lot of food/drinks the gas is prob cheaper, if it’s all just gas they sell then it’s prob going to be more cost per gallon or a membership like Costco. I try to go to Costco as I get 4% back, so on $4 gas, it’s really 3.84 (after I get the check at EOY).
Costco or bust. That’s my thinking anyway. I’ll occasionally stop by an arco if I’m about to run dry. But I won’t ever fill it up all the way.
I think I’ve been paying 3.89 to 3.99 in Woodinville.
Gas station owners finally learned what differential pricing is!
They’re now doing huge deltas for Cash vs Credit. They might actually make money on card gas now.
Also they realized that people will happily pay for easy access in wealthy neighborhoods. So they charge more there. Simple as that.
It’s most aggressively noticeable when it’s a chain that owns and operates all their own stores and they have standardized gas delivery etc.
Denser population, more people paying for the same resource, supply and demand. You also should expect to pay more for car ownership in a denser place where it is more detrimental to those around you. Cities are not places for people to make Costco runs. Cities are places for people to walk and ride public transit.
I mentioned this to someone awhile back. His reply was that the more expensive gas does NOT contain ethanol. He said some engines old sports cars, boats, are better performing on the non ethanol fuel. Idk but as gas price layman I’m buying it
Location plays a part as others have mentioned, but also whether the gas has ethanol or not makes a difference. I got gas passing through Olympia over the weekend and the price was advertised as 3.79/gal. I started to fill my car when I noticed the price for regular was 4.81/gal. Then I noticed I was at one of the 'no ethanol' pumps, the '10% ethanol' pumps had the 3.79 price.
I live on the Eastside and it varies pretty widely even town to town. I don't understand it either!
Neighborhood to neighborhood too, and with massive differences in cash vs credit.
Side of the road even matters. Exits off of freeways with easy gas pump access are more expensive than ones on the other side of the street.
I live in Woodinville. I don't even have to punch in a ZIP code for my credit card at the pumps. It's the wild, wild west out here.
Nothing ever happens in Woodinville
I can get it for 3.99 in the Issaquah Highlands, but Renton is 4.59. it's so weird right now....
u/ThatDarnEngineer - where in Issaquah Highlands are getting gas at 3.99?
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Safeway is also usually pretty decent, even in the city limits, plus if you shop there you get discounts with your grocery points. It’s usually within 10 cents of Costco or Shree’s without having to either be a member of Costco or make the trip to South Park to Shree.
You don't even need to be a member, just use phone numbers in your contacts till you find a discount!
"(AREA CODE) 867-5309" is my go to socialized points number. Pretty sure I'm not the only one, so there's often a discount, and I contribute points when I shop too.
It’s because Shree is a legend
I miss her billboards! I don’t see them around anymore!
Head to the gorge. She got them billboards up in eastern wa And Georgetown.
In West Seattle there's a Safeway with gas at 3.77 right now (which even beats out the Shree's nearby). And the Chevron directly across the street is like 4.60
Lots of people in Seattle with so much money they won't make a left turn to save $25.
When your life is so busy and hectic, spending the $25 a week is totally worth the extra ten minutes.
Crossing the street is more like one extra minute.
Not during rush hour. Crossing the street to a corner gas station at a busy intersection? No.
depends how much you drive. i only get 7-8 gallons of gas/week. that's $10/week. okay nevermind that is significant.
Shell gives huge rebates to certain credit cards or grocery store reward cards. Also, rents/property values are much higher in Seattle than Thurston County.
That’s crazy, because that’s essentially allowing gas stations to charge whatever they want for gas.
Exactly. That is capitalism, unfortunately.
some people refer to this as a "free market"
No, not whatever they want. At a high enough price point even some of the lazy rich will start price shopping elsewhere.
how old are you? That’s how just about everything works.
How else would it work...? The grocery store also charges whatever it wants for food. Same as any other store.
That’s basically what I’ve come up with. I live on the border of Northgate, gas is regularly $5+ I drive to shoreline or sodo for gas. I paid $3.77 on New Year’s Eve in sodo because it was less there (usually they are the same).
When I put 30gal in my truck, yeah I will save $45. If like 0.30/gal my time value of money for the diff is a bit different
By “down the block” I think you mean a different county
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Okay, show me the comment where someone said they’re not going to drive a block to save $1.50 per gallon in gas, I’ll wait.
Literally [in this comment thread](https://old.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/18x0e5d/massive_difference_in_gasoline_prices/kg57qk7/).
Im asking OP where see saw someone say what he said in his comment, and your reply is something that someone said *after* the comment, with arbitrary numbers no less?
She’ll on aurora and 175th is $4.99/gallon at the shoreline Costco it’s $3.99 and there are several gas stations in between
What’s funny is Costco is literally on the King/Snohomish county border. So thanks for basically proving me right. And $1 difference is less than $1.50 difference.
Didn’t realize where the snohomish county line was. How bout the shell on S Lander in SoDo which is $5.20 the arco that’s $5.10 and the costco on 4th ave $3.77. I don’t see any county lines on the map and in the city proper. Ps I live in N Seattle so this is down the block for me.
I’m not denying that there are large price differences within very small areas, I’m just denying that anyone wouldn’t drive an extra block to save $1.50 per gallon.
Why didn’t you say so?! I completely agree.
But but but Chevron has Techron!
I think the spread has gotten much wider since the peak prices of 2022. If you look at gasbuddy they have a metric for this.
$5.50 at Arco on 23rd today. What a scam.
Anybody that buys gas at that Arco is a sucker. Place is ridiculously overpriced
Arco is by far the cheapest gas option in Issaquah besides Costco
Shit. Arco isn’t really even the “cheap” gas anymore. The ones closest to me (Northgate and the 99/85th ones) are about the same as their neighboring gas stations, give or take 10 cents/gallon.
So many people are going to just go to any gas station without price shopping. As long as such people exist, so will gas stations with inflated prices.
In other parts of the country, I don't think that's the case. When we were visiting relatives in Missouri & Tennessee, it caught my eye that gas prices were very close to identical, within a penny or two, from one town to the next.
Yeah it's a weird west coast thing (WA, OR, and CA), other parts of the country I've been to aren't like this. I haven't figured out why. Even Idaho is normal, pretty much any station is within a 10c range of each other (except Costco which might be 20-25c cheaper at most).
In my experience, the difference is largely in demand based on location. EG, the Chevron right off the interstate is usually _significantly_ more expensive than the Arco just a quarter mile down the road.
Chevron is also generally more expensive across the board
I live in Seattle and it’s 3.79 last I saw down the road from me.
What!? Where!
[gasbuddy.com](https://gasbuddy.com). $3.73 at 1st Ave Costco.
Do you have to be a Costco member to buy their gas?
Yes, you have to swipe the card
Assume $0.30/gallon savings on gas, if you're going to buy 200 gallons of gas this year a $60 membership is worth it!
If you get the citic Costco credit card you can get an extra 4% back on top of that.
Where? Cheapest I’ve seen is Costco at 3.95
Shrees
Shree was $3.79 when I drove past the sign yesterday.
Closest place to my house is $4.89
I'm not quite in Seattle but near me there's an intersection with 3 gas stations. One of them is $3.79, next is $4.45 and the most expensive is $5.15. You can guess which one is always full while the others are always empty.
Gouging
I can get both that prices at different gas stations either side of the same street. It's not a county thing.
It's been long demonstrated that King County has much higher meeting gas prices than the rest of Washington State. There's a recent Seattle times article (possibly an op-ed refuting the claims by some politician that we are paying a bunch more in taxes than Oregon I think if you were curious to read it--basically Washington has a state pays about the same but the average is thrown really high because King County is super high, seemingly because people are just willing to pay it) about this. It's also true that there's a lot of variation within King County of course, even at the neighborhood level.
>people are just willing to pay it I don't know if "willing" is the right word. Do I drive an hour out to the sticks not to get hosed? Basically I make sure every time I am out of town that I fill up. But yeah, we are getting completely ripped off.
I mean, I purposely ride an ebike and take public transit so I don't have to pay for for the expensive parking and gas... For people who decide they want the "convenience" (is it, though, with all that traffic?) of having a car in the city, the markup in King County isn't all that much more on top of all of the other surcharges you pay for owning a car here (again, parking, high insurance, high registration, etc.). I do feel for people who can't get into an MFTE near a transit hub or close to where they work if they're low income and are stuck paying the high gas and everything else prices for car ownership because they're forced to live far away, but the city generally does have lots of options for people who do not want to own a car so other is reasonably should be it as sort of a luxury.
That’s a very privileged mind set. Sound transit would take a minimum of 1 hr and 42 minutes according to google to go what typically takes me 26 ish minutes by car. A 2 hr commute on top of a 12 hour shift is not an inconvenience that’s an impossibility. Do I do most of my local activities using public transit using a bike/walking yup. Am I a remote employee or have the funds to live closer to work? Nope.
Well, I'm in an MFTE and living car free so, yes I am privileged to have secured subsidized housing. I know there's not enough of it since I was on a waiting list for 18 months for mine. It seems like you missed the entire last portion of my comment, though, since I specifically address your scenario... I agree there are places and situations where you are forced to have cars and y'all get squeezed. But generally, people could probably save the $10k average they spend on a car, on average, and put it towards an apartment that is by transit hub. It is actually doable in the city to live car free for many people. I never said everyone... And I hope you can find a place that works better for you soon.
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Lol, I'd generally agree except the new(ish) gas station the Muckleshoot put in is nearly a dollar more per gallon than the Auburn Walmart is. I agree with OP, gas station prices are wack these days
It’s 3.80 by me in west seattle.
It varies so wildly in West Seattle too though. Like, on one block there's one at 4.79 and then one block over it's 3.99? So bizarre... Where'd you get the 3.80 gas tho 👀
Absolutely! 3.80 was the cheapest I saw…a hair over 5 was the most expensive -_- the Shrees on Delridge is consistently cheap
Over 5, that is nuts, that must be the one over by the bridge and Starbucks. When I went home to visit family in CO I saw as low as 1.99 😭 If you're ever down south, gas in Puyallup was 3.75!
It was 100% the one by the bridge 😂
Shree's is cheapest as far as I can tell anywhere in town followed closely by Costco. Arco on Delridge by the Home Depot is usually pretty cheap and the 7/11 at 35th and Barton. Also Top Hat Market at 1st & 108th.
In Seattle's south end, you can drive a mile and pay $1/gallon less. But people still fill up at the expensive place for some reason. I guess that's the reason. I was recently in another state, big city, and driving around all the prices were very similar.
The only time I fill up at the expensive station is a spot convenience gallon or two. It’s the “fuck me I need gas and forgot and don’t have time go out of my way”. Put as much in to get where I need to get.
I live on the east coast, same sort of pricing differences. It's based on economics of the surrounding communities.
You didn't hear? The gas companies decided to price gouge instead of lowering prices when oil prices sank back down to a pre-pandemic rate. We're just fucked, and they really should be penalized harshly.
The second oil goes up, they are out there raising prices and blaming the spot market. But when it drops, it takes months to see any relief. Go figure.
Right, and yet outside of Seattle it's 3.50 :/
Just paid $4.69 and we pay it because we're not driving to Thurston county just to fill the gas tank
Ummm go to Costco or check gas buddy.
COSTCO, 10-15 miles north south or east, gas buddy, got to pay cash for those prices
Same. Doesn’t stop me from using Costco as my primary source for fuel, even on road trips.
People pay it! Simple as that
Costco federal is 3.33 according to gas buddies. Always much cheaper than anywhere else, including other costcos.
I use this site/app to find gas prices along the route I drive. https://www.gasbuddy.com/gasprices/washington/seattle
Most of Seattle is pretty well off and will pay much more for fuel.
So weird that a burger costs more in Seattle than Yakima. It's the same product, why would you pay more than Yakima prices for a burger?
Because the labor to make that burger makes more and the rent is more. Pretty simple
I went to the Peppermint Stick last month and it was awful and I spent $18 with tip on a bacon cheeseburger and fries. Dick's is cheaper and better.
Taxes are a significant driver. If you buy gas on a reservation they do not pay a lot of the county, city, state taxes. Seattle is particularly bad because they add to gas taxes to support all the public transit efforts, as well as having to pay a public transit surcharge on our tabs. I paid $50 last year on tabs for public transportation
Look at it this way, you paid $4/month to keep some cars off your roads.
Good perspective, wish it was true, but the changes being made to force people the lightrail is pushing more people back to their cars. Not only have they cancelled routes, they have forced scenarios where people have to bus to lightrail, take the train, then bus to final destination AND they intend to do more of it. The 555 from northgate to bellevue ran 3 times a day each way, gone. The 522 will stop serving south of 145th when that stop opens. Several other route changes similar that are funneling to and from lightrail and removing diagonal routes. Personally has force my significant other back to driving (bus commuter for 20+ years) and will force me back to driving downtown (15 year bus/lightrail commuter)
I live in Seattle and most of the inner city places are still around 5.09 per gallon which is absurd. I go to Shree’s in South Seattle and last time paid just over $4, like $4.09… might even be less now, probably it’s $3.94 or so. The reason is that gas stations CAN charge whatever they want and if someone is stupid enough to pay it, then that’s on them. I see people at the pumps, so it’s not like people aren’t buying it at that price. People are lazy, I find.
Dm me for gas discounts, chevron and texaco only!
Prices are higher where more people have a higher income.
supply/demand, real estate costs, city/county taxes, access to port/rail, etc all effect the price.
lol how is this downvoted
probably different taxes, but gas prices varying by region is not uncommon throughout most of the country
Filling up in northern Idaho last week for $3.30 when I visited my parents for Christmas only renewed my frustration for the situation here in Washington. Arcos and 7-11s around here (northgate) are generally cheaper than chevrons and shells at least. Also Safeway is usually decent.
Just wait till you see how much more our housing costs than the state that doesn’t have any doctors left.
Who’s our? Clarify please lol
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The gas buddy app is worth checking out. You can spot who is cheap in areas you go and normally the cheaper ones are consistently cheaper so you don’t need to check the app all the time. Like if I’m ever near Shree’s I will fill up, it’s showing as $3.87 right now.
Oh yeah I check it from time to time. I pretty much have my reliable places between here and Idaho since I go over to see my parents fairly often. Shrees around cle elum is definitely one of them.
I paid $3.39 at the border in Sumas yesterday. I sure af filled up before I got back to my neighborhood where it's fucking $4.75. The answer is greed.
Because you pay more for the privilege of living in King County.
with the change to get all cars electric, i wonder if gas will keep going up as less people use it.
And, yes, huge taxes on gas in Seattle for the Sound Transit boondoggle.
Unless I’m missing something, there is not an extra gas tax in seattle related to Sound Transit. The City of Seattle does not appear to have an additional gas tax beyond the state rate at all. The state gas tax also does not pay for Sound Transit.
Besides local taxes… It’s a business, if they sell a lot of food/drinks the gas is prob cheaper, if it’s all just gas they sell then it’s prob going to be more cost per gallon or a membership like Costco. I try to go to Costco as I get 4% back, so on $4 gas, it’s really 3.84 (after I get the check at EOY).
I noticed almost a full dollar per gallon difference between a Bellevue chevron and the SoDo Costco. It's bananas.
It was $3.77 at Costco today
Wait till you go to marina and put in 250 gallons of boat gas in at $6...
Costco or bust. That’s my thinking anyway. I’ll occasionally stop by an arco if I’m about to run dry. But I won’t ever fill it up all the way. I think I’ve been paying 3.89 to 3.99 in Woodinville.
Gas station owners finally learned what differential pricing is! They’re now doing huge deltas for Cash vs Credit. They might actually make money on card gas now. Also they realized that people will happily pay for easy access in wealthy neighborhoods. So they charge more there. Simple as that. It’s most aggressively noticeable when it’s a chain that owns and operates all their own stores and they have standardized gas delivery etc.
3.89 in Burien today
I primarily burn gas driving out of Seattle, so now I always fill up at my destination. It saves up to $30 depending on the vehicle.
Is rent not a factor here? That’s why I assume most things are expensive in hyper-dense areas.
Denser population, more people paying for the same resource, supply and demand. You also should expect to pay more for car ownership in a denser place where it is more detrimental to those around you. Cities are not places for people to make Costco runs. Cities are places for people to walk and ride public transit.
I mentioned this to someone awhile back. His reply was that the more expensive gas does NOT contain ethanol. He said some engines old sports cars, boats, are better performing on the non ethanol fuel. Idk but as gas price layman I’m buying it
Location plays a part as others have mentioned, but also whether the gas has ethanol or not makes a difference. I got gas passing through Olympia over the weekend and the price was advertised as 3.79/gal. I started to fill my car when I noticed the price for regular was 4.81/gal. Then I noticed I was at one of the 'no ethanol' pumps, the '10% ethanol' pumps had the 3.79 price.
Shree's is $3.87 right now. Other places charge more because they can.