I used to think it was a bad thing for Ireland when they had $4/gallon gasoline for ages. Since the gas prices have gone up here, though, it’s varied between $7 and $8 per gallon. (And that’s aside from the fact that 57 percent of the price is tax, changed over to “carbon tax” in recent years.)
The US still has cheap gas, compared to the rest of the world.
In Europe and here in the Philippines, gas has always been in the $4 range. The advantage, however, is that I have never needed or wanted a car while outside of the US. Back in the states, a car was mandatory in order to go ANYWHERE.