Texas Families Are Getting Hit at the Pump and the Checkout Line

Texans have long counted on relatively affordable fuel — one of the quiet perks of living in the nation's top oil-producing state. That advantage is evaporating fast. And when families leave the gas station and head to the grocery store, there's no relief waiting for them there either.

The average price for a gallon of gas in Texas had climbed to $3.67 — up 93 cents from just one year ago. At the same time, the average American household is spending $1,200 to $1,400 more per year on groceries than in 2020, with ground beef, dairy, and imported produce among the hardest-hit categories.

• Texas recorded the 5th-highest percentage increase in gas prices of any state between April 2025 and April 2026 — a 36.1% jump for regular and 60.9% for diesel.

• When the U.S.-Israel war on Iran began February 28, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz — carrying one-fifth of the world's oil supply — sending Texas prices from $2.55 to $4.52 per gallon in weeks.

• The most expensive fuel is concentrated in western, central, and northeastern Texas, where fewer competing stations keep prices elevated.

Groceries have been climbing alongside fuel. Beef prices were 12.1 percent higher in March 2026 than in March 2025, with a pound of 80/20 ground beef that cost $4.50 last year now exceeding $5 in most markets. Tariffs on imported goods from America’s neighboring countries — which supply more than half of America's fresh produce — have pushed grocery prices up an additional 3 to 10 percent on affected categories.

Texans are already feeling the dual pressure in real terms. "If I go grocery shopping one day, I'm definitely not going to get a full tank of gas the same day because it's so expensive," one University of Texas student told the Texas Tribune. The average Texan now spends $223 per month on gasoline alone — money pulled directly from the same budget covering groceries, rent, and childcare.

Texas Families under pressure from all angles

In North Dallas, one father stated his monthly fuel spending had jumped from roughly $800 to nearly $1,100 — while grocery prices were simultaneously pulling on his budget from the other direction. "I don't have the funds to be able to buy what I need or buy what he actually needs. So, now I just have to sacrifice."

For now, there is no clear end in sight. Continued escalations between the U.S. and Iran, renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and fresh strikes on Russian oil refineries are keeping fuel prices elevated. And analysts say tariff-driven grocery cost increases typically follow a 12-to-18-month lag — meaning the steepest grocery increases are still ahead, expected to hit hardest between now and October 2026.