Q COSTA RICA — You may not have felt it yet, but you will. Fuel prices rose on Saturday, led by a sharp ¢97-per-liter increase for diesel. Super gasoline climbed ¢38 per liter, while regular rose ¢12.
The price at the pumps today puts diesel at ¢785 colones per liter, super at ¢764, and regular at ¢ 719.
The regulatory authority, Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep), approved the increase on Thursday, and with a quick publication in the official government gazette, La Gaceta, on Friday, the higher fuel prices took effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday—giving drivers a painful surprise at the pump.
This is a result of international prices and the conflict in the Middle East.
“Costa Rica imports 100% of its finished fuels (gasoline, diesel, GLP, etc.), so domestic prices are subject to fluctuations in international markets,” said Aresep.
The Refinadora Costarricense de Petróleo (RECOPE)—the state-owned refinery that refines nothing—purchases fuel abroad and distributes it to retailers, known locally as gasolineras or bombas. These retailers sell the fuel to consumers at the same price nationwide.