Is NJ gas really that expensive? You might be surprised

There's no denying it, literally everything around the Garden State seems to have gotten more expensive. Especially when compared to just 10 or 20 years ago, many everyday items seemed to have doubled.

Now yes, there are some exceptions to that rule. Some brands of sneakers, for example, managed to keep their prices down a bit over the years.

But by and large, nothing is really that cheap anymore. Especially in a state like New Jersey, where costs seem to continue to climb every day.

Not to mention, our already insanely high taxes. Thinking of all of that, it might seem like there's no hope for relief.

However, one everyday item for motorists actually isn't as bad as you might think. Despite our complaining over expensive gas, it hasn't really changed all that much over the past 10 years.

In fact, there's a chance gas prices might've been even lower today had certain events over the years not played out. Before we look into that, here's a quick glance at how much the price of certain items has changed over the years in New Jersey.

(List compiled by New Jersey 101.5 News Reporter Erin Vogt)

The Effect of New Jersey's Gas Tax

Gas prices, out of all things, have actually trended downward when compared to 10 years ago. That's something to think about when we look at how much most other products have gotten.

However, there's a possibility New Jersey's gas prices might've been even lower. Although it's not possible to travel back in time to change it, the hike in our gas tax back in 2016 has a big influence on the price today.

On November 1 of that year, the gas tax spiked 23 cents per gallon, effectively ending the one bright spot New Jersey could brag about when it came to having the second lowest gas tax in the nation.

$3.60 per gallon is the average for 2023. But if you remove 23 cents from that price, it suddenly becomes $3.27 per gallon.

So yes, our gas prices could've potentially been even lower than what they are now. Still, it's a bit surprising to see that despite everything else going sky-high in prices, gas somehow managed to average out over the past 10 years, despite the 23-cent tax hike.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.