Upstate NY, Bud. Not the highest in the nation, but right now gas is $3.09, $3.19, and $3.29 a gallon for regular unleaded, blend, and premium - respectively. I THINK the price in Jersey is still somewhere around $2.64 for regular unleaded, so yeah, we pay higher taxes/prices on gas here.
I remember my Dad complaining about Mobil being SO much higher than Shell and Texaco gas in the late 60's (I think Mobil was about 2 or 3 cents a gallon higher at the pump) and my "best recollection" was that the price was $0.29/9 a gallon at the Texaco station across the street from where he worked back then.
I started driving in the mid 70's, not long before "Odd-Even Gas Rationing" started with those wonderful 1/4 mile long waiting lines. I recall the price being somewhere around $0.65 a gallon then.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying ALL Challengers will be in the mid-forties. I'm just making estimates based on market trends and the competition (Ford Mustang & GM/Chevy Camaro). But referencing the Mustang/Camaro vs Challenger might be "comparing apples to oranges" since the Mustang and (as far as I know) Camaro AREN'T limited production cars, and do/will offer 6 cylinder powerplants with considerably lower entry-level prices. You'll get MUCH more car when you buy a Challenger.
I expect you'll be able to get a "base model" with very few frills in the low-to-mid thirties, but I can't see them being "under $30,000.00" at all - especially if they're going to be a "limited production" with a 5.7L V8 base model in the first year, and Ford dealers are STILL shafting the Shelby customers a full year after the car became available for $15,000.00 - $20,000.00 over MSRP (a production limited to 7,000 cars per year, I believe).
To be honest, I have a limit on what I'm willing to spend on this car too. If the car sells for more than what I'm willing to pay (because of dealer greed/over MSRP markup), I'll wait until the second year when the demand drops a bit (not to mention there'll be more options/colors/powertrain combinations to choose from anyway). But if the MSRP is too high, I'll get a "beater" pick-up truck for every day driving/work, and a very nice older/restored muscle car (to satisfy my need for speed) for what I'm willing to spend.
I think there are a LOT of reasons why DCX is tight-lipped about EVERYTHING regarding this car right now, and pricing strategy is just as important as keeping the competition from getting a leg-up on them. So you (and everyone else) are correct for letting DCX know in forums like this what you want to pay for the car. I expect how many they actually sell depends on how closely the production car is to the prototype, and what it sells for.