Greenacre Diesel Sits Below 200 Cents While NSW Stations Stretch the Gap to Nearly 40 Cents a Litre
This week's fuel price data uncovers a pattern in New South Wales that deserves closer scrutiny. While the headline figure for diesel prices across NSW sits at an average of 236.0 cents per litre, that single number hides a remarkable spread. As of 17th May 2026 2:14pm AEST, the cheapest diesel in the state was recorded at 198.9 cents while the dearest reached 345.9 cents. That is a gap of 147 cents a litre between the best and worst pumps in the same state on the same day.
Digging deeper into the numbers, motorists prepared to fill up in the right suburb are paying close to 40 cents per litre less than the state average. Greenacre in Sydney's south west is the standout, with diesel recorded as low as 199.7 cents and a suburb average of 209.8 cents across the stations we track. For a driver running a dual cab ute with an 80 litre tank, choosing Greenacre over a station charging the state average works out to roughly 21 dollars saved on a single fill.
The Illawarra offers similar value. Port Kembla servos posted diesel from 198.9 cents, the lowest single price recorded anywhere in NSW this week, with a suburb average of 214.1 cents. That a heavy industrial pocket south of Sydney is undercutting the metropolitan average raises some interesting questions about how diesel is priced for the freight and trade customers who depend on it most.
The Hume Highway corridor south west of the city is worth a look too. Goulburn, a town that often cops a premium for its highway location, recorded diesel from 207.9 cents across seven stations, with a suburb average of 219.0 cents. Just down the road, Marulan matched that 207.9 cent low. Regional towns are not always the bargain motorists assume, so finding two highway stops sitting well under the state average is a result that rewards drivers who check before they pull in.
Back in the metropolitan area, Smithfield is another south western suburb sitting on the cheaper side, with diesel from 208.5 cents and a suburb average of 215.6 cents. On the south coast, Batemans Bay recorded a low of 213.9 cents, competitive for a holiday town that frequently lifts prices when visitor numbers climb.
The variation between these suburbs and the dearer end of the NSW market is striking. A motorist who happens to pull into one of the stations sitting near that 345.9 cent ceiling is paying more than 145 cents a litre above the cheapest pump in Greenacre. Even setting aside the obvious outliers, the difference between a suburb average around 210 cents and the state average of 236.0 cents is real money for anyone who drives a diesel vehicle for work.
This raises a familiar point about price transparency. Diesel does not run on the same sharp weekly cycle that unleaded follows in the bigger capital cities, which means there is no single best day to fill up. Instead, the savings come down to location and a willingness to compare. The community contributed and official data we aggregate shows that the cheapest suburb and the dearest can sit within a 30 minute drive of each other.
Motorists should be aware that the state average is a starting point for consumer awareness, not a fair price in itself. The figure is dragged upward by remote and highway stations charging well above what suburban competition allows. Drivers in Sydney's south west and the Illawarra clearly have the upper hand at the moment, and the data suggests it pays to know it before the low fuel light comes on.
For anyone wanting to track how these suburbs move over the coming weeks, our price trends tool lays out the week on week picture. Armed with this information, motorists across New South Wales can make informed decisions and avoid paying more than necessary for every tank.
