Gas prices in Columbus spiked 22.5 cents per gallon over the past week, pushing the average to $4.11 on Monday even as Ohio's temporary fuel tax holiday remains in effect. Station prices across the city swung wildly, from a low of $3.69 to a high of $4.59, a 90-cent gap between the cheapest and priciest pumps in town.
The Columbus figure comes from a survey of 500 stations conducted by GasBuddy, according to myfox28 Columbus. Despite the weekly jump, local prices are still running 43.2 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, though they remain $1.10 higher than this time last year. Nationally, the trend moved in the opposite direction: the average gas price fell 5.5 cents per gallon over the same week to $4.24 on Monday, while diesel climbed 5.2 cents to $6.300 per gallon.
How Columbus Stacks Up Against Other Ohio Cities
Columbus isn't alone in seeing elevated prices, but it's running hotter than some of its neighbors. Dayton averaged $4.05, the statewide Ohio figure stood at $4.04, and Cincinnati came in lowest among the comparisons at $3.94, per the same report. A separate tally from 11 Ohio counties, reported by Dayton 24/7 Now, put the average price for that broader coverage area at $4.03 as of the Friday before.
GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan noted that most states actually saw prices decline over the past week, a trend he attributed to a mix of state fuel tax suspensions and price-cycling markets, the station's report states. Ohio's own suspension is part of that national picture, even though it hasn't been enough to keep Columbus prices from climbing.
What the Ohio Gas Tax Holiday Is Supposed to Do
Ohio's temporary motor-fuel tax holiday took effect at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 4 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2027, dropping the state's gasoline tax from 38.5 cents per gallon and its diesel tax from 47 cents per gallon down to a nominal $0.0001 per gallon, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation. The state's Legislative Service Commission estimated the holiday could save the average driver up to $55 over three months, as reported by cleveland.com.
An economics professor interviewed by Dayton 24/7 Now said the suspension has actually driven decreases of roughly 35 to 38 cents per gallon, even though pump prices have still climbed in some markets. That outlet also pointed to supply disruptions tied to conflict and instability in the Middle East, Ukraine and Russia as a factor pushing costs upward despite the tax relief.
Global Refinery Pressures Behind the Price Swings
Those geopolitical pressures aren't just local chatter. Global refinery capacity has declined by as much as 10 percent amid transportation challenges and geopolitical tensions, according to research from the Dallas Fed. The same research found that Ukrainian drone attacks cut into Russia's refining capacity by as much as 60 percent over the summer, though the Dallas Fed noted estimates varied by month.
For Columbus drivers, the upshot is a market caught between competing forces: a state tax break meant to ease pain at the pump, and international supply shocks working against it. With the holiday running through early January, it remains to be seen whether local prices will settle lower or keep bouncing around as they have this fall.
