The rise of as prices has been on the minds of many. Do you feel you were hit hard by the increase? I do, but according to a survey of the hardest hit cities, my increase -- or the average increase for a certain type of commuter in my area -- was below average.

This article originally appeard on Consumerism Commentary on October 5.

Though everyone is feeling the effects, some U.S. cities are being hit harder than others -- not just because gas prices have risen higher, but because residents tend to drive more and incomes tend to be lower, magnifying the price increase...

In Birmingham, Sperling's estimates that this year, the average family with two commuters could spend $2,400 more on gas than it did last year. That's an increase of nearly 6% of the total median household income after taxes. And again, this is not the amount spent on gas, but the additional cost due to price increases.

Birmingham, Alabama has seen an increase of of $2,420 per year for an average two-commuter family. That's a 5.91% bite out of the area's median income. The New York metropolitan area falls in the middle of the list with a $1,478 per year jump, figuring a 2.88% portion of the paycheck. Anchorage, Alaska is at the bottom of the list with only a $609 increase in the cost of gas per year for the average dual income family.

When I'm home later this evening, I may have a chance to compare my gas expenses from the last three months of 2004 to the latest three months. That might give me a good idea of the increase, considering I had only started commuting again around August last year.

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