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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- After weeks of minor drops in the average retail price for gasoline, the pain at the pump is back.

The cost for a gallon of gas in the Midlands is up 2.5 cents per gallon over last week's report by ColumbiaGasPrices.com.  That places the average at $3.40 in Columbia.

That weekly change is 16.4 cents higher than one month ago and over 81 cents from last year at this time.

South Carolina ranks fifth in the nation when it comes to having the lowest prices at the pump.  Spartanburg and Greenville rank in the top ten cities in the nation with cheap gas.

The national average is also up this week to $3.56 per gallon.

What trend do you think gas prices will take this summer?  How high or low will they go?  Leave a comment below to weigh in.

And don't forget to rely on our Pain at the Pump page for the latest prices in your neighborhood along with other helpful statistics.