I’ve been doing a lot of driving along the east coast this year and have noticed large variations in the cost of gasoline from state to state. I was thinking this was due in part to differences in state and local taxes, but never stopped to figure it out.

On future trips, I’d like to be a little more strategic and buy gas in states where the taxes are lower. Here’s a chart showing tax burden for each state.

The range from highest to lowest is pretty significant – more than double. Alaska is the cheapest at 26.4 cents. California has the highest taxes at 67.7 cents.

For the states I’ve been driving thru, the taxes from lowest to highest are:

- New Jersey: 32.9 cents

- South Carolina: 35.2 cents

- Virginia: 38.3 cents

- Massachusetts, Maryland: 41.9 cents

- Georgia: 47.8 cents

- Pennsylvania: 50.7 cents

- Florida: 52.9 cents

- North Carolina: 53.7 cents

- New York: 67.5 cents

- Connecticut: 68.7 cents

So for me, the best states for buying the cheapest gasoline are going to be: New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia followed by Maryland and Massachusetts.

The worst states for buying gasoline are New York and Connecticut.