Gas Price Comparison For Canadians

Gas prices these days are significantly higher than they were a few years ago. For Canadians crossing into the USA who are used to seeing our gas price in liters, using this simple formula will let you easily compare what you are paying for gas.

Multiply the US price by .275 to get the per liter cost. (In US dollars).

This formula was calculated by dividing the number of ounces in a liter (35.2) by the number of ounces in a US gallon. 35.2 ÷ 128 = .275

If you're a Canadian old enough to still think in gallons you may be a bit confused. That's because a US gallon is smaller (128 oz) than a Canadian gallon (160 oz).

Here's an example using the formula:

$2.50 per gallon at the pumps in the USA X .275 = .70 cents per liter.

Converting to Canadian dollar equivalent:

Remember that the figure you come up with is in US dollars. If you want to make a true comparison, you need to multiply the number you come up with by the current exchange rate.

Current Gas Prices In USA

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Here's a tip when crossing into the USA:

When going into The States on a trip, note the average gas price we are paying per liter here in Canada. Then do the following calculation...

  • Divide the average Canadian price per liter by 35.2 = price per ounce.
  • Multiply that by 128 = cost in Canadian dollars per US gallon.
  • Convert that to US dollars by multiplying by the going exchange rate.

Write that number down and post it on your dashboard to remember throughout your trip. That's the price that you would have to see at the pumps in the US to be paying the equivalent to Canadian prices. Anytime you buy gas for less than that price, you know that you're saving money.

Gas Price Comparison For Americans

In Canada the price of gasoline is expressed in Canadian dollars per litre. On the road, a short cut for converting the Canadian price into American dollars per gallon is to discount the Canadian price by 10%, then multiply by 4, as follows:

C$1.00 per litre - 10% = US$0.90 per litre x 4 = US$3.60 per US gallon

Converting to US dollar equivalent:

This foreign exchange website reveals that C$1.00 is worth approximately US$0.93 at present (September 12th, 2009) and...

1 U.S. gallon = 3.79 litres

The detailed conversion formula is:

(Price of gas per litre, in C$) x (current value of C$1.00, in US$) x (3.79 litres
per US gallon) = price in US dollars for one US gallon

So, using the above example:

C$1.00 per litre x 0.93 x 3.79 = US$3.52 per US gallon

Current Gas Prices In Canada

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» Click Here To See Gas Price Heat Map For Canada...


Here's a tip when crossing into Canada:

Visitors to Canada from more densely-populated countries may be surprised to find that some sections of heavily-travelled Canadian highway can have as much as 100 km (60 miles) or more between gas stations. It's unwise to assume that there will always be a gas station nearby when you need to refuel. If you are doing substantial amounts of highway driving, you need to either plan your fuel stops as part of your route planning, or consider refuelling when your gas gauge reaches the half-full mark.