Which countries pay the most and least for Netflix?

Last year, we analyzed the differences in library size and monthly cost of Netflix subscriptions around the world. We found a huge disparity.

Since our last update in April, there have been a few more price increases, including the recent one in the UK.

We’ve updated our analysis to reflect these recent Netflix price increases, while also expanding our comparison to include standard and premium plans. This has meant analyzing 77 countries in total to find where in the world you get the best value for money with Netflix.

Is Netflix in your country good value?

To gather this data, we’ve taken a look at several different factors.

First, we looked at the figures based on the number of TV shows and movies available in 77 countries (according to the most up-to-date figures from uNoGS, or where data wasn’t available, Finder.com). We then divided the total number of titles available by the monthly subscription price to establish each country’s cost per title per month. For the standard and premium plans, we also factored in the number of users for each account (2 and 4, respectively), multiplying the library total by this to give the number of titles available to all users.

Second, we evaluated the costs per month in each country and how these shape up against others (based on current exchange rates at the time of writing).

The results?

American customers may have the largest choice of titles on Netflix but they don’t get the best value for money. Our study shows a massive disparity when cost per title is analyzed between different countries. Due to the cheap price and number of titles available, Colombia and India are actually the most cost-effective countries to watch Netflix in.

Furthermore, the more UK and US customers pay for plans, the less cost-effective they seem to be, even when you consider the higher number of users for each account. The UK drops out of the top 10 when it comes to its premium plans, while the US plummets from 13th place to 18th place when you upgrade from basic to premium.

TIP – How to access different Netflix catalogs: You can access Netflix catalogs from different countries but will need a VPN to do so. However, not all VPNs work with all Netflix country catalogs. We recently tested 59 different VPNs with 30 different country catalogs so be sure to pick a VPN that works with the Netflix country version you want access to. You can see our list of recommended Netflix VPN services here.

Top 10 places where Netflix is good value for money

When it comes to value for money, Colombia and India win hands down on cost-per-title value across all three plans (with the Philippines also featuring in the top 2 for premium plans).

However, the real sense of injustice comes when you look at a country like Denmark which has a significantly smaller Netflix library. Despite only having a total library size of 3,525, the Danish plans are in the bottom two for all three plans when it comes to cost-effectiveness. This means Danish customers pay nearly 100 percent more per title compared to Colombians for their basic plans and around 90 percent more than Indians for their standard and premium plans.

Furthermore, the average cost of a title (worldwide) is $0.00202 for basic, $0.00134 for standard, and $0.00085 for premium. This means the average customer worldwide pays over 55 percent more per title for a basic plan than Colombians, and around 50 percent more per title for standard and premium plans than Indians. Danish customers are paying around 50 percent more than average for all their plans.

Shouldn’t you pay less to watch less?

Europeans get more for their money from higher-tier plans

In our previous comparisons of the basic plans, we found that there was a distinct difference between what European countries pay and what non-European countries pay. When it comes to basic plans, European countries are almost always paying more than the rest of the world – something you can see highlighted in the below chart. However, as Europeans upgrade their plans, this disparity starts to disappear, meaning those in the Eurozone tend to get more value for their money from standard and premium plans.

The 10 places where Netflix isn’t good value for money

As we’ve already mentioned, Danish customers are getting a pretty raw deal when it comes to all of their plans – but they’re not the only ones.

Making up the bottom 10 across all three plans are predominantly countries in the Middle East or Europe. Despite their significantly lower library sizes (some are less than half the size of the US’s library), most of these customers are still paying an average fee for their Netflix subscriptions (or a premium price if you’re Danish or Swiss).

Top 10 cheapest places to get Netflix

When comparing the cost per month of Netflix around the world, the cheapest place to watch Netflix is Colombia – across all three plans. At a cost per month of $4.90 (£4.04), $7.21 (£5.95), or $9.53 (£7.87) for basic, standard, or premium plans, respectively, it’s 60 percent cheaper than basic or standard subscription plans in the US, 50 percent cheaper than a premium subscription in the US, and around 40 percent cheaper than all the UK’s plans.

In fact, on a cost-per-month basis, the US and UK don’t fare too well. The US finds itself in the bottom 10 for its basic plan price, ranks 14th most expensive for its standard plans, and 15th for its premium. Furthermore, despite the UK featuring in the top 10 cheapest places for basic subscriptions, the recent price hike across its standard and premium plans means it falls dramatically through the rankings (37th and 47th cheapest place, respectively).

With the average cost per month being $8.34 (£6.87) for basic plans, $11.14 (£9.18) for standard, and $14.15 (£11.67) for premium, the US is 7, 15, or 12 percent more expensive, respectively. In contrast, the UK is nearly 14 percent cheaper for its basic plan and 2 percent cheaper for its standard, but it is 2 percent more expensive for its premium plan.

How expensive is Netflix relative to average income?

We’ve analyzed the monthly cost of Netflix in the top 10 cheapest areas relative to the average monthly income in a country to determine where Netflix may “feel” more expensive.

Netflix prices and exchange rates accurate at time of publishing. Due to currency fluctuations and ongoing volatility, Argentina, Turkey, and Pakistan have been excluded from these results.

Top 10 most expensive places to get Netflix

In contrast to the above, the most expensive monthly subscriptions for Netflix are found in the below areas, which, if you look closely, are primarily made up of Nordic countries and their neighbors.

According to these statistics, if you live in Switzerland, you’re paying 37, 43, or 45 percent more than average for a basic, standard or premium plan, respectively. This is over 80 more per plan than Colombians.

For more comparisons on the cost per month of Netflix in the countries with the highest user penetration, read our analysis which looks at current prices as well as all of the price increases since Netflix was launched.

Where should you opt to watch Netflix?

Based on all of the above, it’s clear Colombia is the best value place to subscribe to Netflix. So if you want access to a good number of titles and at an affordable rate, a move to Colombia (or a good VPN) may be in the cards.

Sources:

Full datasheet for all countries and plans: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D0JY_ZpbacHmlQaTEjNPEWERmcmYH_GLdIrKp83A-n4/edit?usp=sharing

https://data.oecd.org/earnwage/average-wages.htm
https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php
https://www.worldbank.org