Texas Gas Prices Ease, but October Was Still a Costly Month for Drivers

Gas prices are retreating in Texas and several other Sun Belt states, but drivers are ending October with bills considerably higher than they faced a year ago.

Texas regular gasoline averaged about $3.70 a gallon on Oct. 29, down six cents in a week but $1.10 above the same date last year. The statewide October average was approximately $3.81, about $1.16 higher than October 2025 and the highest October average on record for Texas, AAA Texas reported.

The price decline is real, but it does not undo the higher cost of a fill-up compared with last fall. For a driver buying 15 gallons, a difference of $1.10 a gallon means roughly $16.50 more than a year earlier.

The Sun Belt’s fuel-price divide

North Carolina and Georgia remain among the nation’s least expensive states for regular gasoline, according to AAA’s state averages. Prices are much higher in Arizona and Nevada.

On Oct. 29, regular gasoline averaged approximately $4.47 in Arizona and $5.25 in Nevada, compared with about $3.62 in Georgia. A 15-gallon purchase at those averages would cost about $24.50 more in Nevada than in Georgia.

Regional differences reflect a combination of fuel supply, refinery access, transportation expense, state taxes and local market conditions. Higher crude prices raise costs broadly, but those other factors determine how much of the increase motorists see at individual pumps.

What lower prices mean for household budgets

The national average was approximately $4.20 on Oct. 30, a decline from the previous day and from late September. Yet a cheaper gallon this week is not necessarily cheap by historical standards.

The burden is particularly noticeable in Sun Belt communities where households rely on cars for commuting, shopping, school trips and work. Workers who drive long distances may feel increases far more sharply than people who can walk or use transit.

Diesel prices matter even to households that never buy diesel. Trucks hauling groceries, supplies and packages face fuel costs that can ultimately affect transport charges and consumer prices, although the connection is not automatic or immediate.

For drivers, the next few weeks may bring seasonal relief as demand eases, but future prices will also depend on crude oil markets, refinery operations and fuel distribution. October ends with lower pump prices than September, not a return to the much cheaper gasoline of last year.