* San Francisco most expensive gasoline, Houston cheapest
* Retail diesel price falls to lowest level since March 1
U.S. gasoline prices increased for the first time in three weeks as higher crude oil costs were passed on to consumers at the pump, the Energy Department said on Monday.
The national price for regular unleaded gasoline rose a slight 0.4 cent over the last week to $2.72 a gallon, up 26 cents from a year ago, the department's Energy Information Administration said in its weekly survey of service stations.
The jump in pump prices coincided with a rise last week in crude oil costs, which increased about $2 a barrel.
In its weekly price survey, the EIA found the West Coast had the most expensive gasoline at $3.06 a gallon, up 1.8 cents. By city, San Francisco had the highest price at $3.17, up 2.2 cents.
The Gulf Coast states had the lowest regional price at $2.56 a gallon, down almost a penny. Houston had the cheapest city pump price at $2.47, down 2 cents.
The agency also said gasoline prices were up 2.1 cents at $2.99 in Seattle; up 2.2 cents at $2.87 in Chicago; down 0.6 cent at $2.75 in New York; down 1 cent at $2.74 in Miami; down 0.8 cent at $2.72 in Cleveland; down 1.4 cents at $2.67 in Boston and down 1 cent at $2.62 in Denver.
Separately, the average price for diesel fuel dropped 0.4 cent to $2.90 a gallon, up 40 cents from a year ago, but still the lowest price since March 1, the EIA said.
The West Coast had the most expensive diesel at $3.04, down 1.5 cents. The Gulf Coast region had the cheapest diesel fuel at $2.86, up 0.2 cent.