Best Cities to Save on Gas

A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline runs, on average, about $3.93.

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A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline runs, on average, about $3.93. At that price, a typical Honda Accord owner is paying $73 -- seventy-three dollars -- to fill up the popular sedan’s 18.5-gallon tank. Drivers shell out even more at the pump in cities such as Los Angeles ($81 per tankful) and Chicago ($83).

There’s little relief in sight. Gas prices, fueled by everything from state taxes to growing tension with Iran, have already edged up to last year's high, and analysts expect them to rise higher as the summer driving season nears. But while that puts enormous pressure on drivers in, say, California, where gas prices are steep, traffic interminable and commutes far, there actually are a number of places with more manageable commuting costs.

To identify the best cities to beat rising gas prices, we focused on three key factors that impact drivers: local gas prices, average commute times and the percentage of people who carpool to work. Carpooling, in particular, is an important indicator because it reduces traffic congestion for all drivers and lowers fuel expenditures for carpoolers themselves. Since this analysis is aimed at drivers specifically, we didn’t take into account any potential savings from using public transportation rather than getting behind the wheel.

Check out our list of the 10 best cities to save on gas.

Online Associate Editor, Kiplinger.com