Fuel is taxed identically in every Australian state, the wholesale price is set by the same international benchmark, and the same handful of companies supply every terminal in the country. Yet on any given day a litre of regular unleaded costs 197 cents in Wagga Wagga, 211 in Perth, 233 in Ceduna and 265 in Broome. This guide sets out what drivers in each state were paying at the end of August 2026, why the gaps exist, and which tools each state gives you to find the cheapest bowser.
Prices below are ACCC daily averages for regular unleaded (91) and regular diesel on Tuesday 26 August 2026, published in the ACCC's weekly fuel price monitoring report of 28 August. Prices move every day; use them to compare places, not to plan tomorrow's fill.
The national picture first
On 26 August the average regular unleaded price across the five largest cities was 205.5 cents per litre and diesel was 250.2. Across the more than 190 regional towns the ACCC monitors, the aggregate was 211.4 for petrol and 255.7 for diesel. The whole country was still carrying the weight of the Middle East conflict that began in late February: five-city petrol was 34.6 cents higher than on 20 February, and diesel 73.6 cents higher, although both were well off their 31 March peaks. Fuel excise had been fully restored on 3 August at 53.7 cents a litre, which on its own lifted pump prices by up to 18.8 cents including GST.
New South Wales
- Sydney: 203.1 petrol, 248.8 diesel. Same-day range from 188.7 to 219.7 for petrol.
- Newcastle 201.7, Wollongong 204.8, Central Coast 203.4.
- Cheapest regional: Oberon 195.9, Wagga Wagga 197.3, Nowra 198.1, Muswellbrook 198.8.
- Dearest regional: Parkes 224.4, Forbes 223.4, Moama 221.9, Jerilderie 217.4, Mudgee 217.1.
Sydney was the cheapest of the mainland capitals on the day and had the smallest post-excise increase. The Riverina and Murray border towns were at the top of the state; Moama's 22-cent jump since 2 August was the largest of any monitored NSW location.
Price tool: FuelCheck NSW is a real-time, government-run app and website; every servo must report within 30 minutes of a change. It also covers Canberra.
Victoria
- Melbourne: 206.7 petrol, 253.3 diesel. Same-day range from 187.9 to 239.9 for petrol, the widest spread of any capital.
- Geelong 203.7, Ballarat 202.7, Bendigo 205.8, Shepparton 205.5, Traralgon 207.0.
- Cheapest regional: Lakes Entrance 201.7, Moe 202.0, Benalla 202.0, Ballarat 202.7.
- Dearest regional: Mansfield 225.6, Corryong 221.9, Yarrawonga 217.3, Orbost 216.8.
Victoria's regional prices cluster unusually tightly around the metro price, with the high-country and far-east towns the exceptions. The state gets more than half its fuel from Viva Energy's Geelong refinery, which was back at full production in June after an April fire.
Price tool: Servo Saver, inside the Service Victoria app, launched in October 2025 with mandatory real-time reporting. Since March 2026 retailers must also lock in a maximum price for each 24-hour period by 2 pm the day before. Note the public data feed runs a day behind.
Queensland
- Brisbane: 202.7 petrol, 253.3 diesel. The cheapest capital-city petrol in the country on the day, and the smallest increase since February.
- Gold Coast 203.9, Sunshine Coast 206.6, Toowoomba 203.6, Townsville 205.4, Cairns 206.1, Rockhampton 209.7, Mackay 209.3.
- Cheapest regional: Roma 197.3, Innisfail 200.2, Dalby 200.6, Maryborough 200.6.
- Dearest regional: Weipa 260.9, Longreach 237.7, Cunnamulla 235.4, Normanton 232.9, Mount Isa 232.2.
Queensland has the widest spread of any state, from a Roma price below Brisbane's to Cape York and the outback at 30 to 60 cents more. Weipa's diesel, at 296.9, was the second dearest monitored anywhere in Australia.
Price tool: mandatory reporting since 2018, but no official state app; the data is published for third-party apps such as PetrolSpy, MotorMouth and the RACQ app.
South Australia
- Adelaide: 203.5 petrol, 249.7 diesel. Range 193.5 to 210.9, the tightest of the big cities.
- Cheapest regional: Mount Gambier 201.7, Gawler 205.4, Victor Harbor 206.3, Port Augusta 207.1.
- Dearest regional: Coober Pedy 255.7, Ceduna 233.4.
Adelaide's petrol was among the cheapest in the country before the conflict, at 161.3 on 20 February, and had one of the largest rises since, 42 cents. Coober Pedy's diesel at 316.2 cents was the most expensive fuel the ACCC monitored anywhere.
Price tool: mandatory real-time reporting since 2021, no official app; data goes to third-party apps.
Western Australia
- Perth: 211.5 petrol on the day, but that was a Wednesday, the peak of Perth's weekly price cycle; the previous day's average was 196.9. Diesel 246.1, the cheapest capital-city diesel.
- Cheapest regional: Bunbury 200.1, Busselton 202.8, Kalgoorlie 205.6, Manjimup 205.8, Geraldton 205.9.
- Dearest regional: Broome 265.4, Port Hedland 244.9, Carnarvon 237.9, Collie 221.1, Karratha 217.2.
WA runs the most predictable market in the country. Under FuelWatch, every retailer must submit tomorrow's price by 2 pm and hold it for 24 hours, and Perth's cycle has settled into a weekly rhythm: prices bottom out on Tuesday and jump on Wednesday, often by 15 cents or more. Fill on Tuesday. The Kimberley and Pilbara pay the highest petrol prices in the state because of freight distance and thin competition; Broome's 30-cent diesel rise since the excise restoration was the largest anywhere.
Price tool: FuelWatch, the original mandatory scheme, running since 2001 and expanded in 2026 to every registered retailer, with penalties for breaches raised to $4,000.
Tasmania
- Hobart: 206.4 petrol, 255.2 diesel.
- Launceston 209.8, Devonport 208.7, Burnie 208.3, Wynyard 207.9.
- Dearest: New Norfolk 216.5, Campbell Town 214.3, Sorell 213.9.
Tasmania's prices are uniformly a few cents above the mainland because every litre arrives by ship and volumes are small, but the spread between towns is narrow.
Price tool: FuelCheck TAS, a government real-time app launched in 2020.
Northern Territory
- Darwin: 210.7 petrol, 253.7 diesel.
- Katherine 209.9; Alice Springs 232.3; Tennant Creek 236.9 (a 23-cent jump since 2 August, the largest of any monitored location).
Darwin was the dearest capital for petrol after Perth's cycle peak, and the Territory's inland towns pay 20 to 25 cents above it.
Price tool: MyFuel NT, mandatory reporting since 2017.
Australian Capital Territory
- Canberra: 209.6 petrol, 261.6 diesel. Canberra had the highest diesel of any capital and the largest weekly rise.
Canberra has no price cycle and has historically sat above Sydney despite drawing fuel from the same terminals, a gap the ACCC has attributed to lower competitive intensity.
Price tool: FuelCheck NSW covers ACT sites.
Why states differ when the tax does not
There has been no state-level fuel tax in Australia since the High Court struck down state business franchise fees in 1997. Excise and GST are federal and uniform. So the differences between states come from four things:
- Freight. Every litre in Broome, Weipa or Coober Pedy has travelled a long way by road train from a coastal terminal.
- Volume. Low-turnover sites spread fixed costs over fewer litres and replenish stock more slowly, which is why price rises and falls both take longer to reach remote towns.
- Competition. The presence of an independent or a supermarket-aligned site in a town reliably pulls prices down. Towns with a single operator do not get the discount days.
- Cycles and transparency rules. Perth's regulated weekly cycle and Victoria's new 24-hour lock produce different daily patterns from Sydney's or Brisbane's longer cycles.
FAQs
Which state has the cheapest petrol?
On 26 August 2026 Brisbane had the cheapest capital-city petrol (202.7) and Sydney the cheapest diesel among the eastern capitals (248.8). Perth's diesel (246.1) was the cheapest in the country. Rankings shift week to week; Adelaide is often the cheapest capital in calmer periods.
Why is petrol in Canberra dearer than in Sydney?
Same terminals, same excise, less competition. The ACCC has noted the Canberra premium over Sydney for years.
Do state governments control fuel prices?
No. They regulate price reporting and, in WA and Victoria, how often prices can change. None sets the price.
Is there a fuel price app that works everywhere?
PetrolSpy and MotorMouth aggregate the official feeds from every state that publishes one. For the most accurate data use the state app where one exists: FuelCheck (NSW/ACT and TAS), FuelWatch (WA), MyFuel NT, Servo Saver (VIC).
Where does the ACCC data come from?
From Informed Sources and the state price-reporting schemes, published weekly by the ACCC in its fuel monitoring reports. Membership-only sites such as Costco are excluded from averages.