Borderland drivers feel pressure as gas prices climb in El Paso and Las Cruces

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – Drivers across the Borderland say filling up the tank is no longer a simple errand, but a cost that can shape the rest of the week’s budget.

According to AAA, the average price for regular gas in El Paso is about $3.89 a gallon, while in Las Cruces it is about $3.92 a gallon.

For Jaime Gomez, an El Paso surgeon who drives across the city for work, the impact goes beyond the pump.

“It’s impacting the prices of everything, including groceries,” Gomez said. “I’m a surgeon and I cover both sides of the city. It is definitely impacting me.”

Gomez said higher gas prices do not stay at the gas station. He believes they spread into nearly every part of daily life, from food to household expenses.

“That everything else is going to go up, basically,” Gomez said. “This isn’t just the gas prices… it spreads to all other whatever we consume, whatever we buy.”

He added that filling up now feels like losing more of his paycheck.

“Like I have less money… because my car now is costing me almost… about $90,” Gomez said.

Just across the state line in Santa Teresa, Alma Tieguez said her family is also feeling the strain.

“Todo, todo lo que es gasolina, lo que es no comestible y todo,” Tieguez said, explaining that everything seems to be getting more expensive.

She said her family is trying to cut back on trips just to save gas.

“Casi tratamos de no salir… para ahorrar gasolina,” Tieguez said.

For drivers in both El Paso and southern New Mexico, the story is not just about a few cents difference from one city to the next. It is about how fast those costs add up for families already juggling groceries, bills, and work commutes.

“There’s just no way out of it,” Gomez said. “We need our cars.”