Gas prices in San Diego continue to surprise its citizens. The price is so high that there’s been an increase in Americans crossing the border to Tijuana to fill up their tanks.

This is because in the last few days, gas in Mexico has had a lower cost than in the US. This is an unprecedented event since, historically speaking, Tijuana natives had always been the ones who crossed to the US to refuel their vehicles.

Is the difference so big? The answer is yes. Several gas stations in San Diego are charging around $6.19 dollars per gallon (ARCO), with Shell gas stations ranging from $6.19 to $6.49 dollars, while in Tijuana, regular gas is priced at $21.99 pesos per liter (at Chevron Tijuana on March 15).

This means that on the Mexican side of the border, gas is priced around $4.15 dollars per gallon. The difference is approximately $40 pesos per gallon. If an average car can be completely refueled with 12 gallons, this means that in San Diego filling up your tank costs you up to $77.88 dollars, while in Mexico, it costs you $49.80 dollars. It should be noted that this price varies depending on the individual cost that each gas station offers.

As a result, an American will save $22 dollars if they fill their tanks in Tijuana. Several gas stations have commented that this has occurred in the last few days: “With what’s happening over there, it seems that they prefer to come here,” an employee of Tijuana’s Akron stated.

Meanwhile, Chevron gas station, located in Boulevard Agua Caliente, confirmed that since last weekend there’s been an increase in Americans filling their tanks. This is not strange, they said, the only thing that is different is that they are now filling up their tanks, instead of just filling up to go back.

In Mexican gas stations, several signs started to appear advertising this fact such as “To save money, fill your tank before crossing” or “Cheaper than in San Diego.”

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