Drivers filling up in La Paz are seeing some of the widest price swings at the pump in recent memory, with premium gasoline topping out at 30.50 pesos a liter — roughly $1.69 USD at current exchange rates — at several stations around the city.
Regular gasoline, known locally as magna, now averages 24.03 pesos a liter (about $1.33 USD), while premium averages 29.02 pesos ($1.60 USD) and diesel sits at 27.08 pesos ($1.50 USD), according to figures from the gasolinamexico.com.mx tracker, which pulls its data from Mexico’s Comisión Reguladora de Energía (CRE) — the federal agency that monitors fuel pricing nationwide. Those municipal averages mask a much bigger spread at individual stations, which is where the real sticker shock shows up.
Where the Highest Prices Are Showing Up
The 30.50-peso ceiling for premium is being charged at Platinium Gas on Boulevard Camino Real, Ralsi on Boulevard Constituyentes, Gasolinera El Ganadero on Calzada Olachea, and Estación Tamarindos on Calle Santa Rosa, according to Tribuna de México. The same top price shows up along highway routes as well, including stations in Las Aripas, Servicios Sinaloenses on the La Paz–Los Cabos highway, and the community of Los Planes. At most of these locations, regular gas runs 24.50 pesos a liter and diesel 27.00 pesos.
Why Prices Vary So Much Across Town
Energy sector officials cited by Tribuna de México attribute the gap to distribution logistics across the Baja California peninsula. That logistics squeeze has made Baja California Sur one of the pricier places to fill a tank nationally, something Peninsular Digital reported back in August when it noted the state was already running some of the highest gas prices in the country.
It’s not the first time La Paz stations have crossed the 30-peso mark for premium. Gringo Gazette previously reported when premium gas topped 30 pesos at more than a dozen La Paz stations, and Mexico’s consumer protection agency, Profeco, has gone as far as posting warning signs at stations charging above 24 pesos for regular gas in past enforcement actions.
Where to Find a Better Deal
Shoppers willing to drive a little farther can still find meaningful savings. The cheapest regular gas in town is at the Costa Baja station on the highway to Pichilingue, pricing magna at 19.95 pesos a liter — about $1.11 USD. The lowest premium price is at Auto Servicio Airapi on Boulevard Forjadores, at 23.44 pesos a liter ($1.30 USD), a difference of more than four pesos compared with the priciest stations in the city.
What It Means for Your Budget
For anyone renting a vehicle or running a car daily in La Paz, the spread matters: filling a 50-liter tank with premium could cost roughly 350 pesos (about $18 USD) more at the priciest station than at the cheapest. Rising fuel costs have already been linked to broader cost-of-living pressure in the region, including a bus fare increase tied to driver operating costs that the city council approved this week. Checking prices before fueling up, particularly along the highway corridors where rates can shift block to block, remains the simplest way to avoid paying the top of the range.
