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In view of the US-Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz price of crude oil<\/a> There has been a rapid rise in the international market. Now, petrol and diesel prices in the US have started to be affected, with hikes at the pump Up to 30% in some areas<\/a>. Gas prices are dynamic, changing depending on the day and even depending on the city or state. For example, the national average price of gas, according to aaa<\/a>Today, as of March 2026, it is $3.96. But in Iowa, the average was $3.33, and in Illinois, it was $4.17.<\/p>\n If you’re going out to fill the tank, it might help to do a little research first so you can save some money in the process. Using dedicated, community-sourced gas pricing tools, you can find the cheapest gas stations around your area, as well as cheaper options just a short distance away. These apps can help.<\/p>\n \n GasBuddy (available for) iOS<\/a> And Android<\/a>) is a popular, crowd-sourced app for reporting gas prices. The app has over 10 million downloads on the Play Store alone, and a large community of users updates fuel prices on a real-time basis. It also includes official pricing feeds for popular gas station operators like Costco. Community members who update prices receive points that can be redeemed to pay for gas. <\/p>\n You can use your current location to find gas stations near you, or you can use the search bar or map view to find cheap gas stations in your city or neighboring areas. GasBuddy will show you the cheapest options first (for regular fuel, though you can also filter for midrange and premium options). Each gas station has a rating and an indicator showing how long ago the price was updated. Sometimes this is by a few hours, but often you’ll find gas prices only an hour or a few minutes old. The app also details which gas stations are cash-only, and whether they have other amenities such as ATMs, convenience stores, or loyalty discounts.<\/p>\n If gas shortage becomes an issue, GasBuddy also has an option tracker<\/a> Which gas stations have fuel and electricity, and whether they are running out of any particular type of fuel. GasBuddy works best as an app because it has location and navigation features built in. But if you just want to browse cheap gas in your area or your city, you can also use Find Gas Facility<\/a> On their website.<\/p>\n \n Google Maps also has a built-in gas pricing tool, but it’s not community supported and it doesn’t update as often as you’d like (many listings show prices older than 24 hours). Still, it’s convenient because it’s built directly into an app you’re probably already using.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do you think so far? To find out prices in your area, open Google Maps, and search “gas” to see a list of all nearby gas stations; On the map, you’ll also see their price for regular gas. If you want to see more gas stations nearby, zoom in or out, or move the map around and tap the “Search this area” button. You can also simply search “(city name) gas” to know gas prices in a particular area.<\/p>\n Each gas station on the map will have a small label with a price. Select a gas station for a detailed view and prices of midrange, premium and diesel. The app will also tell you if the price was updated more than 24 hours ago.<\/p>\n \n If you don’t use Google Maps, you can also check out a similar, more detailed feature in Waze. Simply search “gas station” in the search bar to see all the prices near you. Unlike Google Maps, Waze uses crowd-sourced data for gas prices. Above each price, you will see when the data was last updated.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nCheck out GasBuddy to find low prices and earn free gas<\/h2>\n
\n Credit: Khamosh Pathak<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nCheck Google Maps or Waze for prices along your route<\/h2>\n
![\"Find](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KMDSNQ4PQFM7JR3QG6EGX9J4\/images-1.fill.size_2000x1256.v1774284627.png\")
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\n Credit: Khamosh Pathak<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Gas](\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/imagery\/articles\/01KMDSNQ4PQFM7JR3QG6EGX9J4\/images-2.fill.size_347x750.v1774284627.png\")
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\n Credit: Emily Long<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n