Regular gasoline in the Baltimore area averaged $4.24 a gallon on Monday, Oct. 12, up 4.5 cents in a week and $1.19 higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy’s weekly survey of 663 local stations. For a driver filling a 15-gallon tank, that is roughly $18 more per fill-up than in October 2025, at a time when national prices are the highest on record for this point in the fall.
The good news is that prices vary widely across the region: GasBuddy found a 99-cent gap between the cheapest and most expensive stations in the Baltimore area on Sunday. Here is where prices stand, why they are still above $4 and what could change next.
How much is gas in Baltimore right now?
GasBuddy’s Monday figures, published by the Dundalk Eagle, show:
- Baltimore average: $4.24 a gallon, up 4.5 cents from last week and up 6.6 cents from a month ago
- Maryland average: also $4.24, up 4.2 cents from $4.19 a week earlier
- Cheapest Baltimore-area station Sunday: $3.70 a gallon
- Most expensive Baltimore-area station Sunday: $4.69 a gallon
- Statewide range Sunday: from $3.64 to $4.99 a gallon
Baltimore drivers are paying slightly less than the national average of $4.29 and noticeably less than nearby Washington, D.C., where GasBuddy put the average at $4.48. York, Pennsylvania, averaged $4.34.
How do this year’s prices compare with past Octobers?
The year-over-year jump is the biggest story for household budgets. On the same date in each of the last five years, Baltimore gas never topped $3.74 a gallon.
| Oct. 12 | Baltimore average | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $4.24 | $4.29 |
| 2025 | $3.05 | $3.02 |
| 2024 | $3.22 | $3.19 |
| 2023 | $3.28 | $3.61 |
| 2022 | $3.74 | $3.92 |
| 2021 | $3.21 | $3.28 |
Even 2022, the year of the post-pandemic price spike, came in 50 cents cheaper in Baltimore on this date than 2026. Prices were already elevated at the end of summer, as Maryland’s Labor Day travelers saw.
Why are gas prices still over $4 in Maryland?
The main driver is crude oil. AAA said in its Oct. 8 update that oil had rebounded to above $90 a barrel after several days in the $80s, and that the national average was the highest ever for this time of year. AAA also noted it is the first year the national average has been above $4 a gallon in October.
Global supply worries tied to the war involving Iran continue to weigh on the market. ABC News reported that higher shipping costs in the region, doubts about how durable recovered Middle Eastern supply will be and the slow pace at which stations pass along lower wholesale costs are all keeping pump prices up, even though the U.S. imports relatively little crude from the Middle East.
Hurricane Isaias, which soaked Maryland over the weekend, is another variable. GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan said the storm has passed but analysts are “awaiting updates on two refineries that were in its path.”
How much of the price is Maryland’s gas tax?
Maryland’s gasoline tax rose to 46.6 cents a gallon on July 1, up six-tenths of a cent from 46 cents, Maryland Matters reported. Part of the tax is tied to inflation and by law can only go up; another part is a sales and use tax on the wholesale price, which moves with fuel markets. The state rate is set once a year, so it does not explain this fall’s week-to-week swings. Federal tax of 18.4 cents a gallon is added on top.
Will gas prices go down soon?
GasBuddy’s latest read is cautious. Nationally, more states saw prices fall than rise last week, and the U.S. average slipped 0.4 cents. Diesel fell 5.9 cents to $6.248 a gallon, though it remains far above gasoline, which matters for trucking costs and, eventually, grocery and delivery prices.
“It is far too early to declare the pressure on fuel prices resolved.”
Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy
De Haan also said the trend is “cautiously in the right direction for motorists.” In practice, that means Baltimore drivers should not count on a quick return to $3 gas. Any sustained drop in crude prices typically takes weeks to show up fully at the pump.
How can Baltimore drivers save on gas now?
- Compare stations before you fill up. With a 99-cent spread between the cheapest and priciest Baltimore-area stations, a 15-gallon fill-up can differ by nearly $15 depending on where you stop.
- Avoid filling up in D.C. if you commute there. The District averaged 24 cents more per gallon than Baltimore on Monday.
- Use store and warehouse-club fuel programs if you already shop there, and check whether your credit card offers higher rewards on gas.
- Combine errands and keep tires properly inflated to stretch each tank.
- Plan for higher costs in your budget. Rising fuel costs come as borrowing remains expensive, too; mortgage rates recently hit 7.40%.
Featured image: A gas station in Columbia, Maryland. Photo: G. Edward Johnson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.