The price of a regular liter of gasoline this year started at ¢377, spiked to ¢545 in August, then dropped down to ¢442 by December, according to the state-run Costa Rican Oil Refinery (RECOPE).
RECOPE attributed the price spike to increased international oil prices, which subsided by year’s end. The nation’s gas bill was estimated to reach $1.2 billion this year, a 20% increase from last year.
