# Does the price of gasoline instantly jump significantly in other countries? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499 "2005-11-04T16:49:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/1 "2005-11-04T16:49:55Z")
So, I’m on empty (or close to it) last night, and decide to wait till this morning to fill up. The price of gas increased 9 cents per litre overnight. Great. Adjusting for currency that’s about 30 U.S. cents a U.S. gallon. This happens all the freakin’ time here in Canada. What could possibly have transpired while we were asleep? Funny how it never falls by 9 or 10 cents a litre instantly though. Does this happen regularly elsewhere? ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/2 "2005-11-04T18:14:12Z")
Seems to happen the same way in an upward direction around here in New Hampshire, though usually it’s a few cents a day. Recently, though, we’ve seen $.10 drops overnight. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/3 "2005-11-04T18:25:25Z")
This happens (or used to happen) all the time in St. Louis. Jumps of 10, 20 or 30 cents aren’t uncommon overnight. If you go to [GasBuddy.com](http://www.gasbuddy.com) and graph the price of gas over 6 months here, you’ll see what I’m talking about. (The way they make the graphs means I can’t link directly to it, but it’s generally a slow and steady fall followed by a sudden, overnight spike.) ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/4 "2005-11-04T20:45:07Z")
Yes, it’s common for gas stations to jump 10c/Litre in Australia, usually around Wednesday or Thursday. The explaination I’ve heard for it is that Thursday is payday. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/5 "2005-11-04T21:15:01Z")
It sure happens here in Panama. I swear it went up more than 50 cents, if not overnight, in less than a week. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/6 "2005-11-05T04:12:38Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Yes, it’s common for gas stations to jump 10c/Litre in Australia, usually around Wednesday or Thursday. The explaination I’ve heard for it is that Thursday is payday. When I lived in Canberra the price of petrol regularly increased significantly every \*\*second \*\* Thursday (public service payday). I’m told that this is still the case. Anyone who can obviously fills his car with petrol on Wednesday. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/7 "2005-11-05T04:13:26Z")
In Cincinnati it would go up 20 cents per gallon between the morning drive to work and lunchtime. It would hover there for a week or so then drift downward until the next time the pricing squirrels got scared. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/8 "2005-11-05T07:33:12Z")
I’ve never noticed rises of more than a couple of pence from one fill-up to the next, i.e. across two or three days. Mind you, I haven’t been running a car as long as some people, so more experience Brits might be able to tell you differently. The greater cost of fuel makes such rises less noticeable in any case - 2p (five cents) is only about a 4% price increase. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/9 "2005-11-05T09:27:25Z")
**Colibri** What are you paying for gasolina in the Old country? Here the price only goes up by government fiat. The last time was a couple of three years ago. It went up to about a buck a gallon. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/10 "2005-11-05T09:39:40Z")
It varies from place to place in Australia but follows a regular weekly cycle in each City. In Sydney petrol is cheapest on Tuesday then rises toward the weekend, peaks on Friday or Saturday and cpmes back down. I think in Melbourne it is cheapest on Thursday. If you ever live near a station you can watch the price go up or down by 5 cents without the adveny of any new delivery. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-price-of-gasoline-instantly-jump-significantly-in-other-countries/329499/11 "2005-11-05T13:00:54Z")
Not here in Mexico. The government controls both the production and price. It goes up a very small amount the first day of the month. It amounts to about 4% over a year.