[ninjatalli]

That's an interesting question, right? Especially depending on where you are, there's a significant difference on how much the fuel costs you.

The Washington Post (source link) definitely thinks so. The linked article nicely details out how half a tank of gasoline (/petrol) in one of the most common car across the world (a Toyota Camry - although I would have the Corolla would be more appropriate) will get you around. With the current prices in the US, half a tank of gas for the Camry is estimated to cost around $40 (~3100 inr) so using data from Global Petrol Prices and some social-economic data, they came up with this nice article that touches upon the concerns and local issues of some of the countries with highest population and how the current fuel prices affect their daily life.

Here's a snapshot of some of their analysis - do have a look at the more detailed article linked above (with local interviews across multiple countries & additional data).

How far $40 of gas will get you in the countries with the largest economies





Contrary to our beliefs, Indian fuel prices fits somewhere middle of the chart when looked globally. As per Global Petrol Prices (link) who track this across nations on a daily basis, India ranks 64 out 168 countries with oil rich countries like Venezuela & Libya at the top having the cheapest price (no surprises) and Norway, Finland & Hong Kong at the end with prices hovering at nearly 170Rs per liter! Neighbouring/Peer countries like Bangladesh (75Rs), Bhutan (92Rs), Pakistan (89Rs), Nepal (112Rs), China (114Rs) & Sri Lanka (120Rs) are all spread across thanks to their own economic conditions and the local taxes their governments impose on fuel.



Of course, when one looks at purchasing capacity, the story is always a different one to tell. But hopefully the above view gives you a worldwide perspective just from a fuel cost aspect.

Key links for further reading:
1. Washington Post article
2. Global Petrol Prices site

[ninjatalli]

The interviews across Columbia, UAE, Germany, India and others are quite interesting to hear with similar complaints from local traders, families and business people across nations; in spite of the different taxation & pricing situations in each of these countries. A snapshot

Columbia
Status: Reduced prices due to government heavily subsidizing the price of petrol

Reaction: Locals are acknowledging the benefits (vis-a-vis other countries) they have but are worried about the subsidy being removed.


UAE
Status: Subsidies that were quite common have been removed causing doubling of prices

Reaction: Locals (& expats) are complaining about the sudden increase in fuel. Carpooling and alternate transports being considered.


Germany
Status: High increases seen in prices; government being urged to subsidize prices. Instead they are subsidizing public transport

Reaction: Locals are complaining about the sudden increase in fuel and impact on their jobs/work. Public transport being leveraged where possible.


France
Status: High increases seen in prices; government being urged to subsidize prices. Re-election of the current president expected to show some action on the taxes but only time will tell.

Reaction: Locals are complaining about the sudden increase in fuel and impact on their jobs/work. Carpooling and alternate transport options being considered.


India
We know the status. Local interviews reflect the same.

[AJ56]

How does a tankful cost just $40? Camry I’m assuming being the same class would have a similar sized fuel tank, my Accord for reference has a 75L tank and fuel at ₹104/L costs 7,800 or $100 per tank in India, if US gas prices are taken it’ll be even more.

[PreludeSH]

Interesting. But I dont think its tankful. Its just $40 worth of gas. With a gallon almost $5, for 8 gallons, a mileage of about 30 miles/gallon seems fine in US !

[Excommunicado]

So $40 worth of petrol in Russia will take you to infinity and beyond. Nice! Indians won't be far behind.

P.S.: 1 USD = 57.00 Russian Ruble
1 year ago, it was worth 73.20 Russian Ruble.
War did not have the effect the Americans expected and intended. They simply failed in isolating Russia.

[thesidmania]

Originally Posted by AJ56

How does a tankful cost just $40? Camry I’m assuming being the same class would have a similar sized fuel tank, my Accord for reference has a 75L tank and fuel at ₹104/L costs 7,800 or $100 per tank in India, if US gas prices are taken it’ll be even more.

OP's post mentions $40 for half a tank of gasoline. So, it'll be $80 for a full tank which seems right.

[K7@TN14]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

That's an interesting question, right? Especially depending on where you are, there's a significant difference on how much the fuel costs you.


Key links for further reading:
1. Washington Post article
2. Global Petrol Prices site

Thank you for sharing it. It is great to see the different analytical perspective of current fuel prices. Looking at the Global Petrol Prices, its appearing the fuel prices are on higher in India with comparison to other nationals. I getting this perception while considering our average annual income ($1822 )which much lower than the other nationals. Am I missing something here?

[supermax]

European countries are hit hard by the ongoing Ukraine war. In Sweden, petrol prices have been as high as 25 SEK per liter (~175 INR), but when the crude prices were at historic lows, the price at the pumps too were really low. Unlike in India where the pump price goes up when crude price goes up but is kept high even when the crude price drops, so it's like comparing apples to brinjals.

[msdivy]

$40 = Rs 3,167.07 = 31 litres of petrol (as on 5th July)
Multiply by your mileage and you will get the range.

In the graph, $40 goes for 240 miles, which is 385 Km. So mileage is 12.4 Km/l.

[supermax]

A tankful costs me 1125 SEK or 8471 INR, here in Sweden. Since the $40 figure is for half a tank, my half-tank cost is 4236 INR. I average 17.5 km/l full-tank to empty, so my half-tank range is 438 km.
If I have to restrict myself to $40, it gets me well under half tank, due to SEK being weaker against the USD, allowing me only 18.6 liters which would last me 326 km.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by supermax

European countries are hit hard by the ongoing Ukraine war.

For a full 5.5 years (2012-2017) I have never seen petrol or diesel below an euro. The lowest I saw towards late 2017 when it was 1.20 EUR for petrol. Diesel was 1.30. I've seen it go as high as 1.60-1.70 EUR.

So there is no comparison against Indian prices.

[supermax]

Originally Posted by narayans80

For a full 5.5 years (2012-2017) I have never seen petrol or diesel below an euro. The lowest I saw towards late 2017 when it was 1.20 EUR for petrol. Diesel was 1.30. I've seen it go as high as 1.60-1.70 EUR.

So there is no comparison against Indian prices.

Indeed there is no comparison against Indian prices! You can't expect a tube of toothpaste or a liter of milk to cost the same here in Europe, as in India, but my point was, after some cess/tax etc were taken into account, the price you paid at the pump was dependent on the fluctuation of international crude prices. While prices didn't drop below a euro, it went up and down, not just up, unlike in India. When the crude prices were at record lows, that saving was not passed on to the consumer. I'm not getting into any discussion on why it was essential to withhold that money, or how well that money was used (or not), but the end user doesn't get the benefit. Here, once the Ukraine war gets resolved, I'm sure the prices will creep back down to the more normal levels, even if it doesn't go all the way back.

[The Rationalist]

As mentioned by OP, this is a myopic view of things. Without factoring in purchasing power parity, we may feel much better, but the fact is we are in a bad situation. This will only help those who want to believe in "All is well" chants. We are becoming Westernised when it comes to savings, living beyond our means, at the same time keep on financing children way beyond adulthood. Sooner or later this bubble is gonna break and the chicken is gonna come to roost. With no social security measures in place, I really fear for the generation who is going to face the music. My parents who have government pension is barely making it through!

Among my circle of people who are in the top 1% of earners in our country, hardly 5% have proper retirement planning. Rest are hoping all things will go well in life. You can't keep on buying homes, cars and vacations on EMI (I can't believe that people are buying vacations on EMI!!!) and hope your kids will be your saviour in retirement.

To conclude, even though Venezuela has the cheapest fuel prices, it remains one of the poorest nations and one with the highest inflation rates. Looking at isolation, Venezuela may look like a car enthusiasts paradise, but unless one can digest petroleum you are gonna die of poverty in Venezuela!

[souvikjana83]

There should be a column on this like what percentage of population has a car. Or like number of cars per 1 mil people. This will give an indication of the economic scenario of the country as well and instead of average income of the country, this would have been a better parameter to compare. Ideally average income shouldn't have been part of this comparison since it brings in a lot of factors for each country.