You may have noticed that not all gas stations have offer gasoline at the same price, which has residents asking why.

In Harrisonburg, the cost of regular averages about five cents more than in Staunton.

Oil executives say the price comes down to three things: the cost the station purchases the gas for, the amount of gas the station can sell and the price competitors are selling their gasoline for.

Christalinn Williams travels from Staunton to Harrisonburg every day for work. She says she's noticed Staunton has the cheapest gas in the Valley.

Williams comments, "It's like, what $3.83 here. Up there it's already still $3.99 so it's still pretty high over there."

Travis Sheetz, the vice president of Sheetz gas stations, says motorists can attribute gas prices to the amount of competition in a particular area.

Sheetz explains, "Staunton is very competitive. We've had several what we call 'gas wars' down there but you've had over the last six months, some really low, some of the lowest retail in our entire company."

Sheetz says the Staunton Sheetz station is also one of the larger stations they have, which also makes a difference.

He says, "If you have a big station with lots of pumps, you may lower your price because you have the ability to bring in more traffic."

Carrie Bartley travels frequently throughout Augusta County. She says she questions why prices are higher in some parts of the county as opposed to others.

Bartley says, "I can't understand why they are so high, and I just think they're ridiculous."

Sheetz explains the origin of the fuel can be another reason for the difference in prices.

He adds, "There’s different prices based on its terminal, based on what pipeline it came from. There are different transportation costs, so that factors in a little bit."

Sheetz also tells consumers shouldn't be surprised to see a lot of fluctuation in gas prices these days since the economy has been unstable. He says it’s not unusual for prices to go up as much as ten cents overnight.