It used to be said that everything was more expensive in California. And until our housing market crashed, it might have been true. But at least one thing remains ridiculously overpriced here—gasoline. California's average cost of gas is now $4.34 for regular gas, while the national average is currently at a record high of $3.81. Even filling up at your local Arco station, known for cheap prices that reflects its basically-fumes makeup, adds six or seven dollars more at the pump.
A quick search on Gas Buddy for Orange County shows the lowest gas price is in Orange at $4.13. Try stocking up on cheaply priced gas next time you're up in North County—Anaheim, Stanton and Cypress is where you'll find the lowest prices. But rather than tell you where you can find the cheapest gas like all other sites, we're going to do the opposite: tell you the five most uneconomical gas stations in Orange County. Avoid these stations at all cost, lest you feel ripped off when you pass the others.
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These prices were collected from Gasbuddy.com; they are constantly updated by gas station customers or passersby, hence the prices listed here are subject to change.
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$4.73 at Chevron, 26988 Ortega Hwy. & Del Obispo St., San Juan Capistrano. It's no surprise that the priciest gas runs in the pumps of South OC. But that probably doesn't faze the area's Republicans and real housewives, who in a perverse way might like paying for higher gas prices because they think it's a reflection of President's Obama's failed energy policies.
$4.69 at Chevron, 604 S Coast Hwy. & Legion St., Laguna Beach. If you've filled up at this gas station, then I feel sorry for you. Read on and you'll see why.
$4.59 at Thrifty, 590 S Coast Hwy. & Legion St., Laguna Beach. This station, located down the street from the Chevron listed above, is 10 cents cheaper. Yeah, Thrifty gas is Thrifty gas and Chevron gas is Chevron gas, but unless you're driving a '68 Camaro, performance doesn't matter. But even then, Thrifty's gas prices certainly don't live up to its name.
$4.57 at Mobil, 16001 Beach Blvd. & Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach. The trend of pricy gas along OC's coastal towns continues as Surf City boasts a painful pump experience. Long ago, HB was once one of the centers of the oil industry in Southern California, but that no longer matters. A wealthy oil supply in the United States simply can't compensate for Wall Street speculators, whose fears over Middle East tensions artificially inflate gas prices like some the chest of a cougar at the Quiet Woman.
$4.55 at Food Village, 120 S Coast Hwy. & Broadway St., Laguna Beach. The only redeeming virtue of this station: it's located just east of Main Beach, which means you'll get a beautiful view of the Pacific that'll get your mind off your wallet for a bit and give you a second of solace about how royally screwed we all are.
