(The Hill) — It’s likely cold comfort for U.S. drivers paying more at the pump, but even with gas costs rising above $4 per gallon across the country, U.S. drivers are paying less than their counterparts in a number of countries.
The average price around the world for a gallon of gas stands at $5.06, quite a bit higher than what many Americans are paying.
There are a number of reasons for the differences, including taxes, a lack of refineries in some countries and other issues.
Here are the five countries with the highest gas prices, according to the website Global Petrol Prices.
Note: The U.S. average national price per gallon of gas is currently $4.11, per transportation company AAA.
Hong Kong
The special administrative regional city near China’s mainland is at the top of the list with an average price of $10.87 per gallon of gas.
Hong Kong has high gas taxes and it’s also expensive to open a gas station in the semiautonomous city because of land costs.
Notably, mainland China has an average price of $5.77 per gallon.
Central African Republic
The African nation bordering Chad and Sudan has a price significantly cheaper than Hong Kong’s, but it’s still high with an average price of $9.34 per gallon.
Monaco
The European country bordering France has an average price of $9.23 per gallon of gas.
Russia, the world’s third-largest oil producer, is the largest supplier of European gas. The war in Ukraine has led to soaring prices across the continent.
After sanctions were placed on Russia, Putin demanded European countries pay in the Russian rouble for gas, which raised fuel prices in Europe by 7 to 10 percent, according to Reuters.
Norway
The Scandinavian nation is just below Monaco with an average price of $9.15 per gallon of gas.
Norway is a major oil producer, but European countries also have higher gas taxes, raising prices at the pump.
In Norway, the gas tax was $2.84 in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Zimbabwe
The African nation ranks fifth with an average price of $8.90 per gallon of gas.