THIS UNION 76 station at Beach Boulevard and Lampson Avenue in Stanton advertises a price (cash only) of $4.99 for a gallon of regular gasoline (Orange County Tribune by Jim Tortolano).

Are gasoline prices in West Orange County dropping enough to put a smile on your face and more unleaded regular in your Ford or Nissan?

Fuel prices are indeed coming down across the nation state and county. Of course, how much you pay depends on a variety of factors, including whether you pay cash, or use the company’s credit card or a different one.

According to data collected by Gas Buddy (orangecountygasprices.com), here are the lowest (and highest) prices for a regular grade of gasoline per gallon in the West Orange County area of Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Westminster on Thursday.

First, the lowest:

• $4.69: Costco in Bella Terra (Center Ave.) in Huntington Beach.
• $4.69: ARCO station on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach.

The highest noted on Thursday in the area:

• $6.50: G&M at Beach and Westminster Boulevard in Westminster.
• $5.78: Union 76 at Edinger and Bolsa Chica in Huntington Beach.

For comparison, two months ago in West OC, the lowest price was $5.79 at a Costco in Huntington Beach and the highest was $6.79 at the Mobil station at Beach and Edinger in Huntington Beach.

This week, in all of Orange County the best price was $4.65 at the Costco in Cypress (Katella Avenue near Walker Street) and Fuel Up! at Chapman Avenue and Raymond Avenue in Fullerton (also $4.65).

The highest for all of OC is that G&M noted above in Westminster ($6.50), followed by a Chevron station in San Juan Capistrano at $6.29.

According to the Auto Club of Southern California, the average price of a gallon of unleaded regular in Orange County is $5.23.