Humboldt area drivers can rest assured that the sky-high gas prices seen in Vancouver recently won’t spread here, an expert says.

Gas prices in Vancouver have been pushing $1.62 per litre - but that city is in a unique situation, said Dan McTeague, senior petroleum analyst with Gasbuddy.com.

It relies on foreign oil and gasoline, and drivers there pay 52 cents a litre in taxes - whereas Saskatchewan drivers pay only about 31 cents a litre in taxes at current prices.

British Columbia gasoline is also hit with an eight cents per litre carbon tax.

At the same time, Saskatchewan retailers are more competitive than their Vancouver counterparts, who must have higher margins due to pricey real estate, the cost of doing business and less competition among refiners.

As of Monday, Saskatchewan gas stations charged $1.26 per litre on average, compared to $141.9 in British Columbia.

Saskatchewan prices could drop to around $1.15 or rise to $1.26 through the summer, depending on the supply of gasoline through the U.S. Midwest, McTeague said.

Prices could drop another three or four cents later in the year once the PetroCan-Suncor refinery in Edmonton comes back online after maintenance.