Calculate the price of gas in Italy in 3 easy steps

Three steps in order to calculate the price of gas in Italy? You might be thinking, can’t I just read what it says on the sign? Well, yes. And no. To understand how many dollars (or pounds, etc.) you’re actually spending, you’ll need to understand the sign, then do a currency and unit conversion.  Check the price of gas before you leave for Italy (in USD per US gallon) on this website, otherwise use the method below to figure it out while you’re in Italy.

Calculating the Price of Gas in Italy

1. Commas vs. periods

Commas and periods are reversed in Italy when it comes to numbers. So the number one thousand and one is written 1.001. The number one thousand and one decimal zero one is written 1.001,01. And the number one decimal zero zero one is written like this: 1,001.

2. Currency Conversion

And of course, the price of gas is in Euros, so you need to do the currency conversion. I’m going to use USD as an example.

So:  1.449 Euros per liter converts to 2.18 USD per liter at today’s rate.

3. Gallons vs. liters

Italians buy their gas in liters, so if you buy your gas in gallons, you’re going to have to do a liter-to-gallon translation. One US gallon is 3.79 liters and one Imperial gallon is 4.55 liters.

So: 2.18 USD per liter translates to (multiplied by 3.79 equals) 8.26 USD per US gallon.

So there you have it: 1,449 Euros / Liter equals 8.26 USD / gallon. Of course if you think in another currency or use Imperial gallons, apply the method above to translate.