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Most Expensive Countries

Name the world's most expensive countries, based on the ratio of prices levels to those of the United States.
For the year 2022, based on IMF data
No data for European microstates with a population below 50,000
MASSIVE HINT It's expensive to import things onto islands
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Featured Quiz
Last updated: April 21, 2022
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First submittedMay 9, 2014
Times taken103,501
Average score54.5%
Rating4.07
Quiz and answer stats >>
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Ratio
Country
1.28
Norway
1.15
Iceland
1.14
Switzerland
1.14
Marshall Islands
1.11
F. S. Micronesia
1.11
Iran
1.10
Vanuatu
1.10
Barbados
Ratio
Country
1.09
Israel
1.09
Australia
1.06
Brunei
1.05
Tuvalu
1.00
Palau
1.00
United States
0.99
Canada
Ratio
Country
0.99
New Zealand
0.98
Denmark
0.98
Solomon Islands
0.96
Luxembourg
0.93
Nauru
0.93
Finland
0.92
Sweden
Instrumental
+18
Level 48
Jun 27, 2016
Dammit Barbados.
IsleAuHaulte
+49
Level 88
Feb 1, 2019
Dammit USA at 1.00.
Trepach
+18
Level 48
Mar 12, 2019
Yeah same. I thought this was in relation to the usa
benjaminmarker
+51
Level 71
Aug 23, 2019
It is in relation to the US, that's why the US is at 1.00
NQChien
+1
Level 65
Aug 18, 2023
Yes, should be shown as default answer already!
rabar15
+7
Level 40
Jun 27, 2016
The day that it got featured there was also a blog post on it as well haha
kalbahamut
+43
Level 83
Jun 27, 2016
Wow that's crazy. Sort of like how Lou Gehrig died of Lou Gehrig's Disease. What are the odds!??
TomatosRaafatos
+8
Level 73
May 20, 2020
It's not the same really. The QM features 5 quizzes daily. Rarely does one of them earn a separate blog post on the topic it covers on the same day. The blogs are independent of the quizzes, aren't they?
kalbahamut
+1
Level 83
May 20, 2020
Actually there are often quiz subjects or questions that relate to the day's blog post. And often questions on multiple quizzes featured on the same day that are related. If you pay attention.
Hampus
+3
Level 57
Apr 15, 2021
Diseases are more often named after the person that first described it.
ThatRandomFangirl
+5
Level 33
Jun 27, 2016
I hate Barbados..... Everything, but Barbados
Jacktheguy
+38
Level 89
Jun 27, 2016
Barbados hates you too.
KingKola
+4
Level 15
Jul 2, 2016
I missed israel and barbados
JudgeRudy
+5
Level 66
Nov 14, 2018
Same. Took me awhile to meander over to Oceania, but I got them at the buzzer.
Xenobiologista
+4
Level 60
Dec 7, 2020
Yeah, I forgot that Israel is an island. (And yes I know it has land borders)
Rodman
+2
Level 45
Jul 9, 2016
would never have thought of Barbados 19/20
mishmosh
+5
Level 46
Feb 21, 2017
Me too - guessed Antigua, St. Kitts, Bahamas and then gave up on the Caribbean.
ketchupkawawa
+12
Level 52
Apr 11, 2017
I was thinking that it would be kind of hard to buy a country when I looked at the title...
TurkeyCookTime
+14
Level 75
May 4, 2020
You can actually buy the country of Liechtenstein for $70,000 a night
Watpo54
+1
Level 57
Aug 17, 2023
Will the inhabitants be my servants?
kalbahamut
+15
Level 83
Jan 28, 2018
I paid 3x as much in Norway for a bunk bed in a hostel dormitory room as I was paying in Ukraine for a nice modern condo in a high-rise building adjacent to the beach with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Black Sea and free garage parking. Insanity. And for the cost of the bridge toll going from Malmo to Copenhagen I probably could live for a month in the Philippines if I was willing to give up certain comforts.
Malbaby
+3
Level 71
Jan 28, 2018
Such as?
kalbahamut
+4
Level 83
Jun 27, 2018
I just mean if I rented a room or got a modest apartment somewhere. But if I really wanted to live for less than the cost of that bridge toll for a month then I'd have to give up mobile data on my phone, any kind of night out that cost money, girls, eating out and most of the variety in my diet. That, in addition to rent, is what I spend most of my money on when I'm in the Philippines as I am right now. I'd also have to stop rescuing stray kittens off the street and trying to find homes for them- as I typically end up paying for some food and vet bills. Done that 3x in the past month alone.
kogatora
+46
Level 92
Aug 24, 2018
Insanity. Insanity, that a country which has a low level of income also has low costs. You as a rich traveller come in and are comparatively richer in Ukraine so enjoy a good life amongst the poor but have a less good life in comparison to the Norwegians earning just as much as you. Actually it makes complete sense. The costs are relative to the amount they earn. It is really a non-observation that a person who has the luxury to travel can buy more where others around are poorer. The disparity is greater than you state in fact, as a one bedroom rental may cost $200 in Ukraine and the average wage is $360/m whereas in Norway renting the same space would be $950 and the wage may be around $3000 meaning the rent is 4.5 times higher but the wage is 9 times more. For the Norwegians then that rent is actually comparatively cheap. The problem you have is you are travelling around with your savings trying to buy into someone else's culture.
kalbahamut
+18
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
wow. deep. That's so insightful and brilliant. Especially what you did there at the end. You've really got me figured out. One of the best comments I've ever read here. It makes perfect sense what you said and wasn't nonsensical Russell Brand style word salad at all. Lucid, clear, spot on. Bravo, Internet culture warrior. Keep fighting the good fight, comrade.
Bernard62601
+41
Level 79
Sep 29, 2018
It's always good seeing someone call out kalbahamut. He probably had to open a bottle of rare French wine and put on his designer slippers to cope with getting owned so hard.
kalbahamut
+7
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
Nah. I'm saving up my money to buy into other people's culture. Because, you know, that's totally something that people do and very relevant to bring up when someone is observing the outrageous difference in cost of living from two countries not that far away. Incidentally I never drink wine and have never owned slippers and I live very modestly but given that you are responding positively to this comment I'm not surprised that these things escaped your powers of perception.
StealthyNinja467
+9
Level 27
Jul 2, 2019
*Kalbahamut* "I have never owned slippers*

*Everyone trying to roast Kal*

haha we all kno u hve slipped b4 haha

kalbahamut
+3
Level 83
Sep 21, 2019
u kno tht? Wull if ur $ur
hwes
+4
Level 84
May 3, 2020
Kalbahamut is doing the logical thing -- if you have no ties to a particular region, live where its cheap. I will collect a private pension in 4 years ---- I'll spend at least six months of the year in cheap places -- I want to live in places while its still cheap and hasn't been destroyed by hordes of western tourists looking for the next "in" spot.
Xenobiologista
+9
Level 60
Dec 7, 2020
Who the heck "buys" into another culture? People are interested in other cultures, and sometimes immerse themselves in studying it. The only way someone might 'buy' into a culture would be to pretend to be part of it when you don't care about it besides it being popular in your social circles.
TWM03
+3
Level 70
Sep 29, 2018
Price differences are pretty insane if you compare some places. Obviously it will depend on wages, but in @kal's example it is pretty amazing to think the hotel in Ukraine was worth so much less just because it was in Ukraine. In Switzerland I once went to a restaurant that tried to charge CHF 9.00 (USD $9.20) for a litre of water. That was insane whatever way you look at it given that there were taps outside you could use for free. I think it kind of makes sense to charge a lot for the bridge though, because it must presumably have cost a lot to make and the people using it will by definition be international tourists and so they won't be able to tax them as easily to fund it.
ander217
+6
Level 75
Sep 29, 2018
Remember these numbers are averages and prices can vary widely within a country. Where I live in Missouri prices are relatively cheap, but in Honolulu or Washington D.C for example, prices are much higher. A tourist visiting Boston would come away with a much different view of prices from that of a tourist visiting Memphis.
TWM03
+1
Level 70
Sep 29, 2018
Yes, there will of course be variation within a country as well, although I would imagine this variation would be less in smaller countries like Switzerland or Norway.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 83
Nov 12, 2018
I went to the coffee shop in St Mark's Square, Venice, which is supposedly one of the first places in Europe to ever serve coffee. I laughed and walked away when I saw that a can of Coke was going for $12.
Djilas
+2
Level 82
May 3, 2020
Restaurant price is composed of many other things besides material costs. And the bridge connects two cities/countries with regular commuters, not just tourists
kalbahamut
+2
Level 83
Sep 11, 2020
^ which makes the toll even more outrageous.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 83
Jun 27, 2018
I don't remember if the rankings have changed significantly or entires have been added or taken away since the last time I took this; but I'm surprised that Germany shows up over some other places like Kuwait, the UAE, and some of those Pacific island nations. But the latter may be excluded due to the population restriction. I'm also surprised that Israel isn't higher in the rankings.
Djilas
+2
Level 82
May 3, 2020
Israel varies a lot in prices, Tel Aviv stands out a lot.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 83
May 27, 2020
I didn't really like Tel Aviv. I only spent a week there, then went to Haifa, then went back to Jerusalem.
AlexGiosan
+2
Level 51
Jun 27, 2018
i only missed barbados, wow i consider that a win
iiMystiqo
+2
Level 34
Jun 27, 2018
Norway is probably on this because of their overpriced gasoline XD
toowise
+1
Level 77
May 8, 2020
Also the very high taxes to fund their education, health service, pensions, sick pay, and many other government costs. Most of Scandinavia is there for this reason.
Quizmaster
+2
Level ∞
Aug 23, 2018
The United States has gotten a lot more expensive than other countries recently due to the strong dollar.
ander217
+9
Level 75
Sep 29, 2018
I guess I misread the instructions. I thought all the countries were in comparison to the US, therefore the US would not be among the answers and I didn't even try it.
cpgatbyu
+3
Level 84
May 2, 2020
Country X never is counted as one of the "Countries closest to X", so I agree with you.
cornflakesfu
+7
Level 85
Aug 23, 2018
Huh. Only 58% get the United States, even though the quiz description says "based on the ratio of prices levels to those of the United States" and one of those ratios is 1.00.
GreenFriday
+5
Level 84
Aug 24, 2018
I wasn't actually looking at the ratios, and so almost missed it. Realised near the end though.
Algernon
+12
Level 72
Aug 24, 2018
I was one, I assumed that the US wouldn't be in a quiz that compares the prices in countries against those in ehh the US. I assumed the answer was a country with prices all but identical to the US. Clearly not.
Algernon
+3
Level 72
May 26, 2022
Same mistake nearly four years later. Good to see I’m learning.
mf3
+1
Level 86
Aug 24, 2018
The Pacific islands make no sense here, unless you're considering the price of buying land as part of the deal.
kolp
+18
Level 87
Aug 24, 2018
Countries that have to import everything and are very badly connected...makes perfect sense
POOCH
+1
Level 73
Aug 31, 2018
I agree, but do wonder why Malta isn't on the list. It is much more densely populated than most other micro-nations and so has to import virtually everything - maybe buying in bulk saves money??
kolp
+10
Level 87
Sep 9, 2018
Malta has extensive and regular transport links small island nations in the Pacific lack. Makes a huge difference in price.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
Yeah being in the Caribbean is quite a bit different than being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Import costs make everything in Oceania expensive; makes sense.
TWM03
+9
Level 70
Sep 29, 2018
The Caribbean? Malta is in the Mediterranean Sea. A few Caribbean countries did make the list (unless I'm using the wrong definition of the Caribbean, which is possible as I think there is a technical definition excluding some North American island countries).
kalbahamut
+3
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
Thank you I meant the Mediterranean. Though the Caribbean is also well connected to sea trade lanes, the Mediterranean is even more so.
kalbahamut
+7
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
Quick someone find a corkscrew. There's going to be a party later to celebrate the fact that I made a typo. :)
StealthyNinja467
+1
Level 27
Jul 2, 2019
That burn to all those islands though
communisteggplant
+2
Level 73
Aug 25, 2018
The markup on those Vatican chasubles has to be outrageous, though!
kaislash
+1
Level 54
Sep 16, 2018
forgot ireland and israel
kalbahamut
+2
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
I can't forget paying $800 a month in Israel to sleep in what was essentially a closet. Other stuff there wasn't so expensive, though. Just the housing prices were out of control.
kalbahamut
+3
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
In my experience Norway was substantially more expensive than Sweden, which was substantially more expensive than Finland, but I might not have had to buy some of the things that they consider when analyzing this.
Photop
+5
Level 69
Sep 29, 2018
Surprised to see Denmark above Norway. Prices in Norwegian grocery stores are way, way higher than in Denmark?!?
kalbahamut
+3
Level 83
Sep 29, 2018
I saw a different list not long ago where Switzerland was ranked as the #1 most expensive country and Norway was ranked #2. That list seemed to be more accurate. I also think Kuwait should probably be above the United States.
TomJStadler
+1
Level 31
Sep 30, 2018
all the answers I missed were in Oceania.
undeadwarrior
+5
Level 63
Oct 1, 2018
If prices are compared to the USA already, it is ridiculous for us to assume that the USA will be an answer in the quiz itself. You should remove this.
joeythelemur
+2
Level 84
Apr 25, 2022
The quiz is "most expensive countries" not "most expensive except for the USA". The USA is simply the baseline for measurement.
Julotek
+5
Level 59
Nov 19, 2018
"Name the world's most expensive countries, based on the ratio of prices levels to those of the United States."

I really didn't expect to see the US in this list of answers, I confess.

I was looking for another country with the exact same level of prices... I tried Canada 10 times...

omnikin
+1
Level 57
Dec 13, 2018
Why there is a picture of a horse?
EytanMelech
+7
Level 67
Mar 15, 2020
It is an Icelandic Pony.
KingJakeIII
+1
Level 40
May 20, 2020
I was missing Iceland with a minute to go and I read this comment and got it. Thanks!
kalbahamut
+1
Level 83
Jul 30, 2020
I import all of my ponies from Mexico. Much more affordable there.
HinesBrothers
+5
Level 75
Jan 31, 2019
Please remove the United States
kalbahamut
+5
Level 83
Mar 25, 2019
why?
Quizzyquizzed
+1
Level 28
Jan 31, 2019
I love how only 70% got 1 being "United States"
Racheth
+1
Level 39
Mar 5, 2019
i live in ireland its not so expensive
FudgyOreo111
+1
Level 45
Jun 16, 2022
have you been to the USA?
Grabajay
+5
Level 62
Apr 8, 2019
Singapore ??!!
kalbahamut
+3
Level 83
Sep 21, 2019
Kind of funny Singapore shows up on the most expensive cities list but not here on the most expensive countries. In my own experience I found Singapore to be cheaper than the USA... but I know that certain things there can be very expensive such as real estate or importing a car. Anything that takes up space has a high premium.
StealthyNinja467
+1
Level 27
Jul 2, 2019
I noticed no countries in the EU were on the list. Does this mean the Euro is equivalent in all countries in the EU? I guessed a lot of them thinking they might be like the U.S. states them, where money is worth more in some countries/states than other, i.e, Calfornia and Nevada.
Djilas
+5
Level 82
May 3, 2020
There are 5 EU countries, 3 of them using euro. Prices still vary a lot, even within the same country. Population density and tourism varies.
ing
+1
Level 72
Aug 12, 2019
Some of these seem silly. There's nothing you can buy in Tuvalu, I've been there. Just food, rent and a moped. Very few shops and restaurants. It's tiny.
benjaminmarker
+5
Level 71
Aug 15, 2019
There is no way Denmark is more expensive than Norway!!
Mikenator
+1
Level 69
Aug 16, 2021
And there is no way the Netherlands isn't on the list.
cathyt
+3
Level 80
May 2, 2020
I find it hard to believe Canada isn't on here!
WillemLAif
+2
Level 77
May 3, 2020
Agreed. Only Iceland and Norway have been able to bleed my finances more thoroughly.
Gabisolarboy
+2
Level 52
May 2, 2020
HINT It's expensive to import things onto islands

Top of the list is landlocked.

Djilas
+2
Level 82
May 3, 2020
Hint is for the more difficult answers
Algernon
+8
Level 72
May 5, 2020
“Hint It’s expensive to import things onto islands”

Cue me trying Fiji, Samoa, Nauru, Kiribati and the long shot of PNG. All wrong, so I moved on and left the Pacific islands (I got Australia and NZ). In the Caribbean I tried Dominican Republic, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Kitts, Trinidad&Tobago, and Antigua. All wrong. So I moved on a decided your hint was rubbish. Then I saw the answers.

I couldn’t have done a better job of picking wrong answers without trying.

EvaR
+3
Level 66
May 20, 2020
Honestly, I'd swap placement of Norway and Denmark. Norway is way more expensive
MarcelVos
+1
Level 65
May 20, 2020
How on earth can Tuvalu be more expensive than the USA when the GDP per capita is only $3700?
kalbahamut
+4
Level 83
Jul 30, 2020
The people there live very modestly or on subsidies probably. I know that's how it is in Samoa. The basket of goods they use to calculate this index might not include things that the average local buys. It's more geared toward expats.
Haaolto
+2
Level 60
May 20, 2020
I tried Nauru, Fiji, Samoa and Kiribati, and concluded that the Oceanian islands nations where not what was meant in the hint
DaveH
+1
Level 48
May 20, 2020
I simply refuse to believe that nearly half (42%) of quiz takers correctly ID'd the Solomon Islands without googling.
vermiciousknid
+8
Level 87
May 20, 2020
Believe what you want, but the hint about the expense of importing to islands was all the prompting I needed to rattle off all of the Pacific island nations. Unfortunately I wasn't as thorough with other island nations so I missed Barbados and the Bahamas. Still, considering what I know about Jetpunk users I'm not surprised by the percentage that got it correct.
Hampus
+3
Level 57
Apr 15, 2021
DaveH: Please..
mrputter
+2
Level 80
Apr 27, 2022
What vermiciousknid said. With the hint about islands being expensive, I immediately started by typing in every single country in Oceania and the Caribbean -- even before I moved on to the "obvious" nordic countries & Switzerland.

I hadn't the foggiest clue, before loading the quiz, that Solomon Islands would be on such a list. But it was an easy one to get anyway.

riverdale
+2
Level 45
May 20, 2020
No Japan? Hmm...
kalbahamut
+1
Level 83
Jul 30, 2020
Tokyo is pretty expensive but the rest of the country not so much.
FatSpartanJediLlama
+2
Level 67
May 20, 2020
Wow Israel was the lowest one. I started guessing all of the Oceana islands in the last 15 seconds haha
waffpng
+1
Level 31
May 20, 2020
i thought luxembourg was a microstate so i didn't put it ;(
kalbahamut
+1
Level 83
May 21, 2020
I would say it certainly is. However, they also have a population far above 50,000 people. Over 10x that. Though only 1/33rd the population of New York City.
NSP
+1
Level 37
Nov 21, 2020
It's a different ball game when it comes to the most expensive cities.
Ryan088
+1
Level 33
Jan 6, 2021
I don't get how you can put Australia and not put New Zealand
SouthKorea
+1
Level 48
Feb 16, 2021
barbados? never thought about that..
kalbahamut
+1
Level 83
Jun 14, 2021
they have all those bright shiny diamonds
MyNameWasTaken
+1
Level 47
Jul 26, 2021
🎶Yellow diamonds in the liiight...🎶
lexxie
+11
Level 77
Apr 21, 2022
Iran? Really?
mf3
+2
Level 86
Apr 21, 2022
Cheap gas and kabobs, but expensive saffron.
mrputter
+4
Level 80
Apr 27, 2022
I missed that one too. After seeing it, I kinda get it -- I have to imagine it's related to the international sanctions.

With the quiz' "last updated" date being so recent, I was wondering if one of the changes made might have been the addition of Russia, due to the sanctions over the Ukrainian war. So I tried Russia... and then for good measure North Korea, also for sanction-related reasons. (As kalbahamut mentions in another comment, the "basket of goods" they use to calculate these is often geared more to expatriates than locals, for any number of economically sound reasons; and these would have been hit hard by North Korean sanctions.)

I'm mostly kicking myself that after striking out on Russia and DPRK, I gave up on that line of thought and didn't bother with Iran... the only answer in the quiz I missed.

Jiaozira
+3
Level 70
Apr 21, 2022
The answers change quite a lot with each update, but one constant is that I will always forget to put the United States at 1.00 flat :D
davrousseau
+1
Level 69
Apr 22, 2022
I feel your pain haha
doublebourbon
+1
Level 15
Apr 25, 2022
A real mix of first world countries and junk countries
kalbahamut
+1
Level 83
Apr 27, 2022
Many countries not on the list that, having been there, certainly feel more expensive than the US.. Austria.. Monaco.. Kuwait... do they only consider prices in New York City or San Francisco for this list? The large majority of cities and states in the US are much cheaper than Sweden.

Finland is cheaper than Sweden, too.

mrputter
+1
Level 80
Apr 27, 2022
Agreed. I can make some educated guesses as to what kinds of basket of goods they might use to derive the index. But where in any given country they would select to poll the prices is a complete black box to me.

My only guess here would be: places with a high expatriate population? Maybe? I'm not particularly married to that guess though.

It makes the tiny (esp. South Pacific etc.) nations fairly accurate, as there isn't going to be a huge difference across the country.

But for places with a large disparity--really any large and urban+rural country, from the USA, to Russia, to South Africa, to Brazil, to Indonesia... and heck especially places like China and Japan--it's basically a crap shoot. I could imagine a rationale for putting them pretty much anywhere on the list, depending on where prices are polled.

And when one of said countries is being used as the baseline against which the list is measured... yeah there could definitely be better clarity around that. 😕

dsaved
+6
Level 67
May 23, 2022
Iran?
joedimaggio
+3
Level 71
Jun 15, 2022
Funny that you found data for Nauru or Tuvalu but not for Liechtenstein and Monaco!
Nadhus
+1
Level 53
Jun 15, 2022
100% right
JWatson24
+1
Level 71
Jun 15, 2022
I wonder how Sri Lanka fares on this right now? Their economic crisis has led to out of control prices and the fact that they are an import-dependent island country probably doesn't help.
jamaltepec
+1
Level 66
Aug 4, 2022
The United States should not be an answer.
sizzly4packs
+2
Level 39
Aug 7, 2022
where is ireland ? it has been called the most expensive country in the EU this year
Nickelz
+1
Level 63
Oct 17, 2022
Where is Angola?
QuizzerBros
+4
Level 66
Nov 26, 2022
South of D.R. Congo, west of Zambia, and north of Namibia
MCdoesgeography
+1
Level 64
May 24, 2023
Damn, Iran caught me off guard
GlobalCitizen
+1
Level 64
Jun 9, 2023
Can USA already appear on the list as given? After reading the instructions I was comparing all countries to the US. I see that different people also seemed to do the same.
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