Metro Vancouver's gas prices are so cheap is it still worth it to fill up in Bellingham?
Some Metro Vancouver drivers say they’ve noticed an uptick in Washington licence plates lately on the roads. Is it because Americans are sneaking up for cheaper items from nearby Seattle or Bellingham? Experts aren’t as certain.
“I noticed it on the weekend. Way more than usual,” one user shared on Reddit after Daily Hive noticed the surge in Washington plates in our own travels.
Is it our gas prices that are drawing folks to our Beautiful BC? Daily Hive asked Patrick De Haan from Gas Buddy if there was any truth to the suggestion that our gas prices might be the draw.
According to De Hann, “That shouldn’t be — across the board prices are lower in Seattle/Washington still than Vancouver.”
He highlighted that with the average in local currency, gas is more expensive in BC.
At this time last year, Vancouverites paid around $2 a litre. Today, it’s about $1.65 per litre and if you head to the Fraser Valley it’s as low as $1.52 in Abbotsford and Chilliwack.
If you were willing to make the trip all the way down to Seattle today, gas would cost you $4.32 per gallon, which is about $1.54 per litre. In Blaine, gas costs $3.79 per gallon, which is equal to about $1.35 per litre.
Kalibrate, an organization that analyzes petroleum and fuel prices, also examined the differences for us, and consultant Suzanne Gray agrees that it isn’t as big of a difference as it once was.
Kalibrate
“You can see that over the last month and a half, there has been a significant convergence in prices, going from 15.9 cents per litre to 5.6 ( and was as low as 3.2 cpl the week prior).”
Adding that in some markets that are close to the border, it might be a pretty narrow difference and could benefit a few folks to cross rather than fill up in the US.
“Do I have any explanation for the price decrease in Canada? I can’t say for sure, but I wonder if increased supplies coming from the expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline could be providing additional product sources in Canada, therefore lowering prices,” she said.
The Reddit thread also included some speculation that Americans are here to take advantage of the dollar difference, which has been weak stateside due to foreign trade influences. However, economists are predicting that will change now that the rate-cutting cycle has begun.
“USD is high, so Canada is on sale. Lots of folks visiting because of that,” one person said.
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byu/Claireindanews from discussion
inSurreyBC
Another shared that while gas might be cheap here, it’s still not the best deal if you are coming to Canada.
“Went down there a few weeks ago, grocery prices are nuts – gas and cheese/dairy are still cheaper there, sales are cheap, but most regular priced groceries are comparably priced to here or higher, but in USD. If I was living there I’d come up here to shop for food, save a bunch,” they said.
Clearly, it is still a little cheaper in the US. However, if time is money, the question becomes whether or not crossing the border for gas is worth it. Let us know what you think in the comments below.