system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[ELI5] Why does gas cost 3 times more in Most asian countries compared to the US?

I know gas prices in general are higher in Asia than in the US and quite alot too. From my past calculations, prices are anywhere from1.5 to 3 times as high as US counterparts.

US is probably farther away and the middle eastern countries dont like the US, so why such a big price difference? Is it due to the sheer difference in quantity?
gpt
So there are a few things to keep in mind:

Gas is a commodity and there is a fixed global price.  There are however several factors which cause that price to vary from country to country.  Shipping costs are one major factor.  However the commodity price is varied by the following:

1. Government subsidies.  Most oil producing countries (the USA and Canada do not do this) provide cheap gas to their citizens through government subsidies.  Some asian countries (notably china) have also worked out exclusive supply deals taking oil from venezuela directly as repayment on hard currency loans.  Whether the chinese government passes this savings on to its citizens is another matter.  The important thing to note however is that US gas prices are not subsidized and in fact are inflated due to taxation.  We do however benefit from being close to where the oil is refined and so have lower shipping costs.

2.  Taxes.  Many countries tax gas highly.  Gas is often seen as a luxury or "sin" item and is taxed accordingly in many places.  Europe and Canada both tax gas signficantly more than the united states.  Every country in asia will have its own taxes.

3.  Real Estate.  Gas storage and distribution takes up a lot of real estate which has to be paid for with the profits of the business.  In Hong Kong for example land is worth so much that typically buildings have to be skyscrapers to the space inside them affordable.  Gas stations however have to be built on the ground level in the open air meaning they take up a huge amount of valuable real estate and so have to have very high profits.  Thus gas prices are dramatically higher than just the cost of the fuel.

4.  Popularity of cars.  Not every country or area is going to be rich enough that the average person can afford a car.  A gas station in north america makes a huge chunk of its profit by selling candy bars and coffee to drivers as they pass through and use the gas as the draw to get junk food sales.  In asia some countries have cars - but not in the same way north americans do.  So station operators need to make their money on the gas sale itself which in turn raises prices.

5. Other economic and political factors.  In a lot of asian countries governance just isn't as good as it is in north america.  This means extra costs.  Your country's currency is inflating: you need a higher profit margin.  Your country has corrupt cops: you need a higher profit margin.  Your country has poor court systems: you need a higher profit margin.  We have done a lot of things "right" in the western world that allow businesses to operate on narrow margins but that isn't going to be true the world over.  A lot of places there is so much instability and uncretainty that unless you are turning 30% a year profits on a business it isn't even worth doing.