St. Louis Gas and Diesel Prices Diverge as August Begins

Regular gasoline and diesel moved in opposite directions in the latest St. Louis metro price check. AAA reported regular gas at $3.821 per gallon on August 1, 2026, while diesel averaged $4.832.

Gasoline edged lower from the previous day and week, but both fuels remained substantially more expensive than they were a month or a year ago. Diesel continued to rise, creating a different cost picture for households and businesses that rely on trucks, vans and other diesel-powered equipment.

Regular gas eases from yesterday and last week

AAA’s St. Louis metro average for regular gasoline was down 0.4 cents from the previous day’s $3.825 average. It was also down 4.5 cents from a week earlier, when the average was $3.866.

The longer comparisons were less favorable for drivers. Regular gas was up 27.4 cents from a month ago, when AAA listed a $3.547 average. Compared with August 1, 2025, the current average was 88.9 cents higher.

For households with regular commuting schedules, the small daily decline may provide limited relief at the pump. The larger month-over-month and year-over-year increases remain more important for recurring transportation budgets, school-related driving, errands and weekend travel.

Diesel rises while gasoline slips

Diesel averaged $4.832 per gallon in the St. Louis metro area, up 2.3 cents from the previous day’s $4.809 average. The diesel average was also 7.1 cents higher than a week earlier, when it stood at $4.761.

Diesel was up 34.8 cents from a month ago and $1.336 from a year ago. That year-over-year increase is considerably larger in dollar terms than the increase for regular gasoline.

Higher diesel costs can affect delivery operators, construction companies, contractors, freight carriers, restaurants receiving regular supply shipments and service businesses operating work vehicles. Those effects may show up through fuel surcharges, delivery costs, operating budgets or pressure to adjust routes and schedules, although AAA’s averages do not measure how any specific business is responding.

Since the last check

The latest figures are nearly the same as the last St. Louis metro fuel-price check, which listed regular gas at $3.829 and diesel at $4.809. Regular gas is now 0.8 cents lower, while diesel is 2.3 cents higher.

Nationally, the U.S. Energy Information Administration‘s latest weekly release, issued July 28, showed a national regular-gas average of $4.096 and an on-highway diesel average of $5.313 for the week of July 27. Those figures provide broader context, but they are not a substitute for the St. Louis metro averages.

What local drivers should watch

AAA’s figures are metro averages, not a price guarantee for every station in the City of St. Louis or surrounding communities. Prices can vary by neighborhood, brand, competition, payment method and timing. Drivers may find meaningful differences between stations even when the metro average changes only slightly.

What are you seeing at local pumps? Share the highest and lowest regular-gas or diesel prices you have found around St. Louis.

Sources

• AAA Fuel Prices — Missouri
• U.S. Energy Information Administration — Weekly Retail Gasoline and Diesel Prices
• Associated Press — U.S. Gas Prices Dip Below $4 but Remain Higher Than Last Year