{"id":2618,"date":"2026-06-11T12:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/gas-prices-in-san-diego-and-rest-of-california-vary-from-one-station-to-another-and-the-differences-are-stark\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T12:03:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T19:03:09","slug":"gas-prices-in-san-diego-and-rest-of-california-vary-from-one-station-to-another-and-the-differences-are-stark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losangelesmovinginsider.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/11\/gas-prices-in-san-diego-and-rest-of-california-vary-from-one-station-to-another-and-the-differences-are-stark\/","title":{"rendered":"Gas prices in San Diego and rest of California vary from one station to another \u2014 and the differences are stark"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A recent committee hearing in Sacramento about gasoline prices offered more specifics about something many San Diego drivers know all too well \u2014 that prices vary widely from one gas station to the next.<\/p>\n

Read more All lanes of north I-15 reopened after morning crash killed 2 good Samaritans<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not unusual to see striking differences, even when the stations are practically, or literally, right around the corner from each other.<\/p>\n

For example, the posted price for a gallon of regular at a Petromerica station on 16th Street in downtown San Diego on Tuesday was $5.53. Yet barely one block away, the price for a gallon of regular at an ARCO station came to $6.69. That\u2019s a difference of $1.16 per gallon.<\/p>\n

On the same day, a Chevron station off Interstate 5 in Del Mar charged $5.90 for customers paying with cash or a Chevron card. But about a quarter-mile east on the same street, a Shell station\u2019s price for a gallon of regular was 40 cents higher \u2014 $6.30, and there were four cars lined up at the fueling pumps.<\/p>\n

The disparity in prices across the state<\/span> was one of many issues addressed June 3 at a California Senate oversight hearing of the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications that lasted just over four hours.<\/p>\n

The chief deputy director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Gentian Droboniku, gave a presentation on the price differentials among branded, unbranded gas and \u201chypermart\u201d gas stations in the state.<\/p>\n

Branded stations refer to those that partner with a major oil company, such as Shell, Chevron or ARCO, to sell their specific fuel. Unbranded stations can be small, independently owned mom-and-pop stations such as Petromerica, and Stars and Stripes, as well as those connected to large chain retailers like 7-Eleven.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gasoline these unbranded stations sell is produced by the same refineries as branded stations and drawn from the same tanks as branded fuel, but it doesn\u2019t contain a branded proprietary cleaning additive,\u201d Droboniku said. \u201cIt does contain an additive that meets the requirements set by the California Air Resources Board.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hypermart gas stations are typically tied with large supermarket chains or warehouse retailers, such as Costco.<\/p>\n

Many drivers across the Golden State who shop around for the lowest gas prices in their driving area have long been aware that prices at branded stations are typically higher than fuel at unbranded stations, or warehouse locations where customers often must be members to fill up.<\/p>\n

But Droboniku\u2019s presentation offered some granular details compiled from a joint report the CDTFA conducted with the California Energy Commission that broke down average prices, retail margins and margin percentages.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0retail margin is the difference between the price a business pays to acquire a product and the price it sells that item to customers.<\/p>\n

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In 2025, the report said branded stations, on average, sold their gasoline at higher prices per gallon across the board, compared to unbranded and hypermart stations.<\/p>\n