September's carbon tax may hit rural residents harder than urban residents.

The Manitoba Government's promised carbon tax will be added to gasoline, diesel fuel, natural gas and propane; 5.3 cents on every litre of gas and 6.71 cents for every litre of diesel, starting this fall. Natural gas will also rise 4.74 cents per cubic metre and propane by 3.87 cents a litre.

While agriculture use will be exempt, local drivers will feel it at the pump this fall.

It's estimated the change will mean paying more than $100 extra each year for the average resident. However, for rural residents who regularly drive longer distances for groceries and work, that cost will hit harder.

"Going back and forth to town will add another 5-10 percent more on your gas bill every year," RM of Stanley Reeve Morris Olafson explains. "If you're on a budget another ten percent is significant."

However, he says added travel costs are a reality for people living in the country, "that's your choice to live 15, 20 miles from an urban centre," Olafson says.

He notes the increased cost may even dissuade some people from living in the country.

"That's why people who move out into the country from town, after a year or two they finally realize they're costing two vehicles, two gas bills for all these trips to town... and they finally move back to town."

"You have to be ready for that lifestyle," he says.