Hitting the Road is Now the Cheapest in Years in Minnesota

If you're heading over the river and through the woods this Thanksgiving, you'll find you'll have more money left in your wallet as travel costs are now the lowest they've been in years here in Minnesota.

That's right, this holiday season, Minnesotans can hit the road without hitting their wallets too hard. With travel costs falling, the only thing soaring this year might just be your festive spirit!

A lot of us here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and around the country will be traveling this Thanksgiving. In fact, the American Automobile Association predicts that just under 80 million Americans will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period.

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And while some of us will be taking to the skies, AAA notes that over 89 percent of Thanksgiving travel will once again be done in the car, with the busiest travel days expected to be Wednesday, Nov. 27th and Sunday, Dec. 1st.

But the real good news is that gas prices here in the Bold North have dropped big-time within the past few weeks-- and they're continuing to fall. AAA Minnesota notes that the overall statewide average for a gallon of unleaded regular finally dropped below 3 dollars a gallon across the state back on November 12th.

And, those prices are continuing to fall. As of Wednesday, November 27th, AAA Minnesota says the average price across the Gopher State is now $2.87 a gallon. That's down a cent or so from a week ago and is nearly 20 cents less than we were paying just a month ago. Plus, it's also the cheapest price we've paid for gasoline over the Thanksgiving holiday in four years, KSTP noted.

A Sinclair station in Rochester, MN on 11/27/25 selling gasoline for even less than the current statewide average. (CSJ/TSM-Rochester, MN)

Many stations across the North Star State are selling gasoline for less than the current statewide average, as well. Even Rochester, which was one of the last cities to see prices fall to under $3 a gallon, prices are below $2.87 a gallon. Gas Buddy says as of November 27, some of the cheapest prices in the state are in LeRoy, Minnesota where two stations are selling a gallon of unleaded regular for $2.24 a gallon.

According to Kiplinger's Personal Finance, gas prices are expected to continue to decline, and we could see the national average (which AAA Minnesota says is currently at $3.07 a gallon) drop below that magical $3 a gallon mark as well. If it does drop that low, it will be the first time below the $3 a gallon mark since May 2021.

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Speaking of gas prices, do you remember how cheap they were when you first started driving? (What did we do with all that extra money back then?!?) Keep scrolling to take a walk down memory lane and check out the price we paid when you first got your driver's license!