Costco gas in Canada: how much cheaper, and who can fill up

Costco gas has a reputation for being the cheapest in town. In Quebec, that can actually be checked, because every station reports its prices to the Régie de l'énergie↗ (opens in a new tab), the provincial energy board, and Gazo keeps track of every change. So we rebuilt the price of regular every 15 minutes, from Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 8 a.m. to Tuesday, October 6 at 4 p.m., for the province's 18 Costco gas stations and for every station within 5 km of one.

Costco gas: how much cheaper than nearby stations?

On average over those 56 hours, regular cost 10.3¢/L less at Costco than the median price of nearby stations, and 3.9¢ less than the cheapest nearby station. On a 50-litre fill-up, that's about $5.15 saved compared with a typical station in the area, and close to $2 compared with the best one nearby.

The gap varies a lot from one warehouse to the next. The table shows how much less regular cost at Costco, on average, than the median nearby station and the cheapest one:

So Costco wasn't always the cheapest. In Laval, a nearby station was cheaper 46% of the time, by up to 3.0¢. The same happened in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville (29% of the time) and at the rue Bombardier (32%) and rue Bridge (15%) warehouses in Montreal. For the Costco gas price today in Montreal or nearby, our pages for gas prices in Montreal, Laval and Brossard rank every station, Costco included.

Why the gap changes from hour to hour

Costco doesn't move much. Other stations go up and down in waves. The chart follows the Brossard Costco and its 23 neighbours:

On Monday, October 5 at 12:15 a.m., a wave of price hikes started in the Montreal area: by 1 p.m., 389 stations had gone up, most of them to 204.9¢/L. No Costco followed. At 11:55 a.m., the Boucherville, Brossard, Candiac and Saint-Bruno warehouses even cut their price by 3¢, and Sherbrooke by 8¢. On Tuesday, October 6 at 10:50 a.m., while a wave pushed prices up in several regions, four Costco stations raised theirs by 2¢ to 6¢: Laval, Terrebonne, Drummondville and Vaudreuil-Dorion.

The result: the gap with nearby stations is widest right after a wave of hikes, and it shrinks as the others come back down. If you pass a Costco the day after a hike, that's often when the savings are biggest. Our guide on what to do when gas prices are going up covers how to react.

Is a Costco membership required for gas?

Yes, with one exception. According to Costco's gas station Q&A↗ (opens in a new tab), only members can fill up there, except Costco Shop Card holders. The pump reads the membership number on your membership card or co-branded Mastercard. A Shop Card can only be bought or reloaded by a member, but a non-member can then use it at the pump.

Payment is self-serve only:

• Mastercard, Canadian debit cards and Costco Shop Cards;
• no cash or cheques at the pump (you can pay cash for a Shop Card inside the warehouse);
• your bank gets a pre-authorization request before you pump: the lower of your card issuer's limit and $200.

What does a membership cost? The basic Gold Star membership is $65 a year plus tax, according to Costco's membership page↗ (opens in a new tab). Executive costs $65 more. And its annual 2% Reward isn't calculated on gas station purchases. At a 10.3¢/L gap with a typical station, it takes about 630 litres, a dozen 50-litre fill-ups, to earn back $65 on gas alone.

Is Costco gas good quality?

Costco sells regular at 87 octane and premium at 91, plus diesel at some warehouses. The company says it buys its fuel from major refineries and distributors in each area. Its gas is sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.

So, is Costco gas Top Tier? "Costco / Kirkland Signature" is listed for Canada in the TOP TIER gasoline brands list↗ (opens in a new tab), a detergent standard backed by automakers, and Costco says both of its grades meet it. Octane is another matter: use what your owner's manual calls for, as we explain in regular vs premium gas.

Lineups and detours

A lower price isn't worth much if it costs you a 15 km detour. In a 2026 gas Kona (8.4 L per 100 km in the city), a 15 km round trip burns about 1.3 litres, close to $2.40 at 190¢/L. And Costco doesn't publish wait times at the pumps, so busy hours are something you find out on site.

In Gazo, "Worth the detour?" works out the net savings of a station farther away, based on your vehicle's fuel use and counting the round trip by road. For other ways to save without a detour, see our 12 ways to use less gas.

Costco in Gazo

In Quebec, Costco gas stations show up in the list with the price reported to the Régie, like every other station, and no station pays to rank higher. If you tell "My price with my discounts" that you're not a member, Costco stations are marked "Members only." Elsewhere in Canada, their prices come from drivers' reports, as for other stations. It's all explained in how Gazo works.