So, where is it most expensive to refuel in Macaronesia? But before comparing prices, there’s a point that’s rarely explained and that helps to frame the entire analysis: what exactly is Macaronesia? Well, it’s a geographical area that designates a group of archipelagos in the North Atlantic. In this comparison, we’re talking about four regions with distinct realities.
Madeira and the Azores in Portugal, the Canary Islands in Spain, and Cape Verde, an independent country. In total, 28 inhabited islands are distributed across these four archipelagos, each with different economic, fiscal, and energy models. And it is precisely this difference that complicates any direct price comparison. One thing they have in common? All motorists complain about the exorbitant cost.
But with this context, let’s look at what the April figures say.
In Madeira, prices remain high. 95-octane gasoline is priced at €1.817 per liter and road diesel at €1.953. These values are set weekly under a regulated system. In the Azores, there is also regulation , but with monthly updates. In April, gasoline was priced at €1.704 per liter and diesel at €1.641. Both are lower than in Madeira, with a particularly noticeable difference in diesel.
Cape Verde has the lowest prices among the group. Gasoline is at 139.89 escudos per liter, about 1.27 euros, and regular diesel is at 117.52 escudos, approximately 1.07 euros per liter. But this data requires context. The prices result from a political decision: the Government suspended the automatic price-fixing mechanism and limited increases to about 5%. Without this intervention, average increases would have exceeded 40%. In other words, we are not dealing with a freely operating market, but rather with prices administratively contained.
In the Canary Islands, unlike in the Portuguese regions, there is no single defined price. Prices vary from station to station. According to data collected in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 95-octane gasoline ranges from €1.247 to €1.319 per liter, while diesel varies between €1.435 and €1.470. This information, obtained from data provided by the Ministry of Ecological Transition and consulted on its geoportal platform, includes the prices of different types of fuel: 95-octane gasoline, 98-octane gasoline, diesel, and premium diesel.
This is where the detail makes all the difference. If the comparison is made with the lowest price of gasoline in the Canary Islands, the difference compared to Madeira reaches about 57 cents per liter, which corresponds to 37.8%. This scenario supports the idea that refueling can be almost 40% cheaper.
But if the reference is the highest value within the same range, the difference drops to about 49.8 cents, or 31.8%. It remains significant, but no longer corresponds to the maximum value frequently highlighted.
In the case of diesel, the discrepancy is smaller: between approximately 24.7% and 26.5%, depending on the point of comparison.
Another indicator helps to understand the real impact on the wallet. To fill a 50-liter tank of gasoline, a resident of Madeira pays around 90.85 euros. In Las Palmas, this value varies between 62.35 and 65.95 euros. The difference can reach 28.5 euros. For diesel, the same tank costs around 97.65 euros in Madeira, while in the Canary Islands it ranges between 71.75 and 73.50 euros.
In the Canary Islands, there is no VAT on fuel, and there is a specific tax regime that lowers the final price. In the Azores, there are monthly adjustments and tax mitigation mechanisms. In Cape Verde, there is direct state intervention. In Madeira, the model remains closer to that of the mainland, with less room for structural intervention at the VAT level.
It is at this intersection that the answer gains consistency.
Conclusion: By now, the esteemed reader has already realized that, to date, Madeira has the highest fuel prices among the Macaronesian regions analyzed. But this result cannot be reduced to a single number. The difference compared to the Canary Islands varies depending on the gas station and the time of day: between approximately 31.8% and 37.8% for gasoline and between 24.7% and 26.5% for diesel. And, above all, it results from different fiscal and political choices. More than knowing where it is more expensive, what these data show is this: refueling costs differently because each archipelago chooses to intervene differently.