Typical regular unleaded price by city
Middle price across each city's stations on the latest day available.
Sydney
No cheap day right now. Shop around for the cheaper stations.
No regular cycleMelbourne
Collecting data since 18 Oct. The ACCC says cycles have mostly paused here.
Collecting dataBrisbane
No cheap day right now. Shop around for the cheaper stations.
No regular cycleAdelaide
Collecting data since 19 Oct. The ACCC says cycles have mostly paused here.
Collecting dataPerth
Usually cheapest on Tuesday, jumps on Wednesday.
Weekly cycleWhy prices jump, then drift down
A petrol price cycle is a pattern in retail prices: a sharp rise over a day or two, then a slow fall as stations undercut each other, until the next rise. The ACCC says cycles are driven by retailers' pricing decisions rather than wholesale costs, and that not every retailer takes part.
In 2025 the ACCC measured cycles averaging about 5 weeks in Sydney, 6 in Melbourne, 6 and a half in Brisbane, 2 and a half in Adelaide and 1 week in Perth. Since late February 2026 it says cycles have mostly not occurred in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. Canberra, Hobart and Darwin don't have them, and diesel and LPG don't cycle anywhere.
When there's no cycle, the day you buy matters little, but the station still does: in most cities the cheapest quarter of stations is several cents a litre below the typical price. Points can widen that gap; see what each fuel program earns.
Prices move every day. PointFarm shows the cheapest servo near you live, and the points each one earns.
Get the free appPetrol price cycle questions
Which Australian cities have petrol price cycles?
The ACCC tracks cycles in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. They don't occur in Canberra, Hobart, Darwin or most regional areas. Since late February 2026 the ACCC says cycles have mostly not occurred in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide; Perth's weekly cycle has continued. Our data currently shows a regular cycle in Perth.
What is a petrol price cycle?
Prices rise sharply over a day or two, then fall gradually over days or weeks before rising again. The ACCC says cycles come from retailers' pricing decisions, not from changes in wholesale costs, and not every retailer takes part.
Is there a cheapest day to buy petrol in Australia?
Only where a cycle is running. In Perth prices have usually been lowest on Tuesday and jumped on Wednesday. Where there's no cycle, choosing a cheaper station saves more than choosing a day.
Does diesel have a price cycle?
No. The ACCC says diesel and LPG prices do not move in cycles; the cycle applies to unleaded petrol.
Prices from the NSW (FuelCheck), Victorian (Fair Fuel), Queensland, South Australian (SAFPIS) and WA (FuelWatch) governments' fuel price schemes. Background from the ACCC, read Monday 19 October.