Fuel Prices in the Dominican Republic: What's Behind the Pump
As of late June 2026, a litre of gasoline in the Dominican Republic costs about $1.537 USD, or roughly 90.31 DOP at the pump. That works out to around $5.82 per US gallon. Diesel is noticeably cheaper at about $1.184 USD per litre. Globally, the country sits at rank 93 out of 170 — almost exactly mid-table — and its gasoline price is just a touch above the world average of $1.484 per litre.
Why the Dominican Republic Imports All of Its Fuel
The Dominican Republic produces essentially no crude oil of its own. Every barrel of gasoline and diesel sold on the island is either imported as refined product or refined locally from imported crude at the Refidomsa facility near Santo Domingo. That makes the country a pure price-taker: when Brent and US Gulf Coast benchmarks move, Dominican pump prices follow with a short lag. It also means the Dominican peso (DOP) matters enormously. Because fuel is bought in US dollars but sold in pesos, a weaker peso pushes pump prices up even when global crude is flat.
Weekly Government-Set Prices and the Subsidy Cushion
Unlike fully free markets, the Dominican Republic sets fuel prices administratively. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) publishes official maximum retail prices every week, calculated from international reference costs, freight, taxes and the exchange rate. Fuel taxes — a specific ad-valorem levy plus a per-gallon selective tax — make up a meaningful slice of the final price, which is part of why gasoline lands above the world average despite cheap labour and proximity to US refiners.
The other half of the story is subsidy. For years the government has periodically "frozen" or absorbed part of the weekly increase to shield consumers from spikes, drawing on the public budget when international prices surge. This smoothing is why local prices feel more stable than the underlying crude market — but it also caps how cheap fuel can get when oil falls.
The Ten-Year Trend: A Steady Climb to Record Highs
The history tells a clear story. Between July 2016 and June 2026, the average gasoline price was about $1.147 USD per litre. The all-time low of just $0.733 came on 27 April 2020, during the COVID-19 demand collapse when global oil briefly cratered. The all-time high of $1.534 was set on 15 June 2026 — essentially today's level. In other words, Dominican drivers are currently paying near the most expensive prices in a decade, and current prices sit well above the ten-year average. The long-run direction has been upward, driven by a gradually depreciating peso and structurally firmer global oil prices since the 2020 trough.
For context, the Dominican Republic is cheaper than heavily taxed markets like South Korea but pricier than some of its Caribbean neighbours. Island economies that import every drop tend to cluster at similar levels — compare nearby Aruba and Curacao, or a landlocked importer like Mongolia, to see how geography and tax policy shape the pump. You can browse the full table of world fuel prices to place it in a global ranking.
FAQ
Why is gasoline more expensive than diesel in the Dominican Republic?
Diesel sits at about $1.184 per litre versus $1.537 for gasoline because the government applies lower selective taxes to diesel and often subsidises it more heavily. Diesel powers public transport, freight and agriculture, so keeping it cheaper is a deliberate policy to limit knock-on inflation across the economy.
Who decides fuel prices in the Dominican Republic?
The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) publishes official maximum retail prices every Saturday for the following week. The figures are based on international reference prices, shipping, local taxes and the peso-to-dollar exchange rate, with the government sometimes absorbing part of the cost as a subsidy.
Are Dominican fuel prices high or low compared to the world?
They are middle-of-the-pack. The country ranks 93rd of 170 nations, with gasoline at $1.537 per litre — slightly above the world average of $1.484. It is more expensive than oil exporters but cheaper than high-tax economies in Europe and East Asia.