Misery loves company

With the average gasoline price in the U.S. hovering near $4 a gallon, most American are feeling the pinch. There are predictions that prices will soon begin to fall, and that would be good news. In the meantime, if there is any comfort to be found in the current price we are paying, perhaps it's the joy we can have that we are not filling up in some other countries of the world.

I just did some checking (and calculating!) to determine the average price being charged for gasoline in some other countries. This is not as easy as it might seem for three reasons. First, the price fluctuates daily. Second, most countries list prices per liter, which must be converted into gallons (A U.S. gallon is 3.7854 liters.) Third, prices in other countries are listed in local currencies, and they fluctuate in value against the dollar on a daily basis. So what follows are the prices for gasoline in selected countries, converted to U.S. gallons and U.S. dollars, as of today.

France -- $10.14 per gallon
Israel -- $8.36 per gallon
U.K. -- $8.29 per gallon
Japan -- $7.15 per gallon
Germany -- $6.29 per gallon

I'm not sure if it makes you feel any better...but when the pump clicks off after putting $50 of gas into your car, just be thankful you weren't filling up overseas. In Israel, the same amount of fuel would have set you back about $105 dollars!