The liter of diesel averaged 27.001 pesos in Mexico on October 9, 2026, 3.53 pesos less than the 30.54 pesos it cost in the United States, while Magna gasoline sold here at 23.69 pesos and topped the 21.05 pesos of the US market, according to the comparison by El CEO and the prices El Economista publishes with PETROIntelligence data.

The gap reflects the tax burden and the stimulus that the Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público publishes every week in the Diario Oficial de la Federación. On regular gasoline, taxes account for 26.3% of the final price in Mexico, 6.22 pesos per liter, against 11.8% and 2.48 pesos in the United States, according to energy specialist Ramses Pech, cited by El CEO. On diesel the opposite happens: although Mexico's tax burden is also higher, the federal government absorbs the full IEPS and adds a complementary stimulus. For Mexico the differential matters because diesel drives freight and passenger transport, logistics and construction, and its cost passes through to final prices.

The agreement published by Hacienda in the Diario Oficial covered October 3 to 9 with the diesel IEPS absorbed at 100% for the fourth consecutive week, a voluntary cap of 27 pesos per liter and a special stimulus that activates when crude oil exceeds 100 dollars per barrel. For the week of October 10 to 16, El Economista reports that diesel keeps the 100% stimulus plus 1.09 pesos per liter additional, for a total of 7.36 pesos, while Magna receives 4.31 pesos and Premium 4.03 pesos. The liter of regular gasoline closed the week at 23.697 pesos and Premium at 28.609 pesos, according to PETROIntelligence.

The decree in force runs until October 16 and Hacienda reviews the stimulus every week based on international reference prices. The signal for the Mexican consumer is that the diesel price is tied to a weekly fiscal decision, while gasoline still depends on the IEPS the motorist pays.

This article was written with the assistance of artificial intelligence from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.