For the week ending October 23 the town was listed at number nine out of 50 places located in NSW and Canberra.

NRMA spokesperson Rebecca Page said Port Macquarie consistently appears at the higher end of the scale and has been listed 24 times in the top 20 most expensive places to buy petrol for 2016. 

Resident Brian Barry said petrol prices impact how much he can save on a weekly basis.

“For years I have bought petrol outside Port whenever I am able to because it is cheaper,” he said. 

Mr Barry uses his vehicle on a daily basis and builds up a large number of kilometres a year as his family doesn’t live in town. 

Ms Page said the supply and demand impacting pricing in Port Macquarie is different to other places such as Coffs Harbour. 

The service stations in Port Macquarie cater for a small market made up of mainly tourists and residents. 

As Coffs Habour is located along the highway there is typically a higher traffic flow and therefore market for the service stations of the area.  Ms Page said this allows for more competition between suppliers and therefore people can generally find cheaper prices of fuel. 

Port Macquarie currently has five service stations who are affiliated with the major supermarket corporations including Coles and Woolworths. 

There are only two independent service stations operating in town but Ms Page said if there were more it would give people the option of buying cheaper fuel, as they operate on a different business model. 

“Traditionally independent petrol stations do offer cheaper prices of fuel as they can only compete on price,” she said. 

“Often they are just a mum and dad business which has to fight harder against the competition.” 

By contrast Ms Page said the big service stations prioritise profit margins and they are less occupied with offering cheaper prices. 

Ms Page said that discounts on shopping receipts do not appear to make a difference at all in terms of providing people with a cheaper option to buy fuel. 

“The docket doesn’t necessarily guarantee the cheapest price in town, it is a matter of being aware and shopping around,” she said. 

The company launched their FuelCheck application about two months ago, which has provided customers with a way of researching where the cheapest places are to purchase petrol. 

Ms Page said the NRMA has received positive feedback from customers who were already saving money from using the application.