SC reports the cheapest average gas prices in the nation

Good news if you’re road tripping around South Carolina for the Fourth of July weekend: you should be paying less at the pump.

In fact, the average price of gasoline in South Carolina is about 46 cents less per gallon since this week last year, dropping to just below $2 per gallon this week, according to GasBuddy.com. Since prices peaked at $2.09 per gallon on June 3, South Carolina gas prices have fallen steadily throughout the month.

In the Myrtle Beach area, prices can be found even below average. GasBuddy.com reports the average price of gasoline in the area Monday was $1.98. The lowest price in the area was $1.85 at Murphy Express on International Drive in Myrtle Beach.

South Carolina’s average gas prices are the cheapest in the nation, well below the national average of $2.28 per gallon. According to GasBuddy.com, motorists should save over over $200 million every day on gas alone, given that prices are now 50 cents less than last year.

Because of the cheap gas prices this year, AAA projects nearly 43 million Americans will travel this Fourth of July weekend. This would mean the highest Independence Day weekend travel volume on record, with 5 million more travelers compared to Memorial Day weekend.

“Spurred by the lowest gas prices since 2005, more people than ever are planning to travel this Independence Day weekend,” Marshall Doney, AAA President and CEO said in a news release.

Meanwhile on the west coast, gas prices are up, according to GasBuddy. California's average price is up 7 cents, Nevada is up 4 cents and Alaska and Hawaii are up 3 cents.

This story was originally published June 27, 2016 at 3:05 PM with the headline "SC reports the cheapest average gas prices in the nation."