New Orleans Gas Falls to $3.652, but Diesel Nears $5 After Another Daily Increase

Regular gasoline became slightly cheaper in the New Orleans metro on Friday, July 31, 2026, while diesel moved higher and reached $4.999 per gallon. The split trend gives gasoline motorists a small break from the previous day and week, but leaves diesel-dependent operators facing another increase.

Regular gas falls, but remains well above earlier levels

AAA listed the New Orleans metro average for regular gasoline at $3.652 per gallon in its July 31 check. That was 1.5 cents lower than the previous day’s $3.667 average and 2.6 cents below the $3.678 average from a week earlier.

The short-term decline has not erased the longer-term increase. Friday’s average was 18.8 cents higher than the $3.464 average from a month earlier and 85.5 cents above the $2.797 average from a year earlier.

AAA’s figure is a metro average, not a guaranteed price at every station. Drivers may see different prices depending on the neighborhood, retailer, payment method and other station-level factors.

Diesel rises to $4.999

Diesel moved in the opposite direction. AAA reported a New Orleans metro average of $4.999 per gallon, up 1.3 cents from Thursday’s $4.986 and 4.7 cents above the $4.952 average listed a week earlier.

The increase is larger over longer comparison periods. Friday’s diesel average was 52.2 cents higher than the $4.477 average from a month earlier and $1.610 above the $3.389 average from a year earlier.

That puts diesel just below $5 per gallon in the latest local metro reading, even as regular gasoline is easing on the daily and weekly comparisons.

New Orleans prices compared with national averages

The U.S. Energy Information Administration‘s weekly figures, released July 28 for the week of July 27, put national regular gasoline at $4.096 per gallon and on-highway diesel at $5.313. Those figures provide broader context, but they are not a substitute for the New Orleans metro averages.

Associated Press reporting has also noted that higher diesel prices can raise transportation costs for freight and other fuel-dependent sectors nationally. For New Orleans businesses, that is relevant to watch, but the local AAA figures do not by themselves identify a specific cause for this week’s movement.

What the split trend may mean locally

For commuters and households with gasoline-powered vehicles, the daily and weekly declines may offer limited relief at the pump. However, the monthly and yearly comparisons show that regular gasoline remains substantially more expensive than it was a month and a year earlier.

Delivery drivers, contractors, utility crews, home-service companies and other diesel-heavy operators are watching a different trend. A higher diesel average can increase the cost of routine routes, equipment use and service calls, although the effect on any individual business will depend on mileage, vehicle efficiency, fuel contracts and pricing decisions.

Actual station prices can vary significantly from the metro average. What are the highest and lowest pump prices you are seeing around New Orleans?

Sources

• AAA Fuel Prices — Louisiana Metro Average Prices
• U.S. Energy Information Administration — Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update
• Associated Press — U.S. gas prices are back up to $4 a gallon