East Coast region
South CarolinaGas prices
EIA doesn’t publish a weekly price for South Carolina on its own. This figure starts from the Lower Atlantic average of $3.959 for the week of October 5, 2026 and adjusts it for South Carolina’s fuel tax, which is 8.3¢ a gallon below the regional norm. How we estimate it.
Lower Atlantic prices this week
The regional averages South Carolina’s figures are drawn from, in dollars per gallon.
- Regular
- $3.959
- Down $0.236 on the week
- Midgrade
- $4.447
- Down $0.222 on the week
- Premium
- $4.821
- Down $0.211 on the week
- Diesel
- $5.699
- Down $0.254 on the week
The regional price is toward the high end of its past-year range: over the past 52 weeks it has run from $2.621 to $4.195, averaging $3.403. It has moved +2.6% over four weeks and +11.1% over thirteen.
How much of a gallon is tax
South Carolina charges 28.8¢ a gallon in state tax, the 31st highest of 51 (the 50 states and D.C.). With the federal tax that is 47.1¢, about 12% of the pump price.
| State excise tax | 28.00¢ |
|---|---|
| Other state taxes and fees | 0.75¢ |
| Federal excise tax | 18.40¢ |
| Total per gallon | 47.15¢ |
| On a 15-gallon fill | $7.07 |
| Over a year of typical driving | $226 |
From EIA’s notes for South Carolina: Inspection Fee: $0.0025/gal; Environmental Impact Fee: $0.0050/gal.
Source: EIA federal and state motor fuel taxes, July 2026. A typical year assumes 480 gallons (about 12,000 miles at 25 mpg). Local sales taxes are not included.
Fuel tax in South Carolina and its neighbours
South Carolina has the lowest fuel tax of its neighbours. Drivers coming in from North Carolina pay 12.5¢ a gallon less in state tax here, $1.88 on a 15-gallon fill.
| State | State tax | Versus SC | On a 15-gal tank |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 28.8¢ | — | — |
| Georgia | 34.0¢ | +5.3¢ | +$0.79 |
| North Carolina | 41.3¢ | +12.5¢ | +$1.88 |
What driving in South Carolina costs
- A 15-gallon fill
- $58.14
- A year of typical driving
- $1,861
- Versus the national average
- $229 a year less
Planning a drive? The fuel cost calculator prices a trip at this week’s South Carolina figure, for your own car.
How we estimate the South Carolina price
The U.S. Energy Information Administration surveys retail gasoline prices every Monday, but it reports individual figures for only nine states. South Carolina is counted in the Lower Atlantic series, which averages it together with Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
Within one region, crude oil, refining and most delivery costs are shared. The biggest fixed difference from one state to the next is tax, which reaches the pump almost cent for cent. So we take the regional average and add the gap between South Carolina’s tax (28.8¢) and the average tax across the region’s states (37.0¢).
Local taxes, how busy the local market is and how far the state is from a refinery all move real prices too, so treat this as a guide to within a few cents, not a quote. Our methodology covers how every figure on the site is sourced.
Gas prices in South Carolina
- How much is gas in South Carolina right now?
- Regular gasoline in South Carolina is estimated at about $3.88 a gallon this week. That starts from the EIA's Lower Atlantic average of $3.959 and adjusts it for South Carolina's fuel tax, which is 8.3¢ a gallon below the average across the region's states. The national average is $4.354.
- How much is the gas tax in South Carolina?
- South Carolina charges 28.00¢ a gallon in state excise tax plus 0.75¢ in other per-gallon taxes and fees, 28.75¢ in all. That ranks 31 of 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), highest first. With the 18.4¢ federal tax, a gallon carries 47.1¢ of tax.
- Is gas cheaper in a state next to South Carolina?
- Not on tax. South Carolina already has the lowest state fuel tax among its neighbours, so any cheaper price across the line would come from local competition rather than tax.
- Why is there no official weekly gas price for South Carolina?
- The EIA's weekly survey samples about 1,000 stations nationwide, enough for reliable regional averages and for nine large states, but not for every state on its own. South Carolina is counted in the Lower Atlantic series, which is updated every Monday and published on Tuesday.