Which countries pay the most and least for Netflix?

Over the last few years, we’ve regularly analyzed the differences in library sizes and monthly costs of Netflix subscriptions around the world, often finding a huge disparity. And this is no more so than in recent months.

In February 2023, Netflix slashed its prices across more than 100 countries, especially for basic plans in African and Asian countries. This coincided with its announcement that it was starting to crack down on password sharing outside of one household, with the likes of Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal being the first to see these changes.

So how have these price cuts and restrictions affected Netflix’s cost-effectiveness? And just where in the world do you get the most bang for your buck with a Netflix subscription?

Please note: the prices included in our study are the base price as advertised by Netflix. They do not include the various taxes and other charges users may face. We are aware that several countries, including Argentina, have these charges but our study focuses on the price charged by Netflix.

Is Netflix in your country good value?

To gather this data, we’ve looked at several factors.

First, we looked at the figures based on the number of TV shows and movies available in 104 countries as per JustWatch and uNoGS. 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 cost per month in each country and how these shape up against others (based on current exchange rates at the time of writing). We have also analyzed the 12 countries with ad-based subscriptions (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Korea, UK, and US) separately to see how these plans compare.

The results?

Our study shows a massive disparity when cost per title is analyzed between different countries–regardless of the plan you choose.

TIP – How to access different Netflix catalogs: You can securely access your usual Netflix catalogs from different countries when traveling abroad with a VPN. 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

Due to their incredibly cheap prices across all three plans (without ads), Pakistan, India, Egypt, and Turkey are the most cost-effective countries to watch Netflix in. But with their great library sizes (over 500 more than average), Pakistan and India perhaps offer the best value for money as they seem to get more while paying less.

The average cost per title for basic plans is $0.00129. Pakistanis and Indians pay $0.00028 and $0.00038 respectively while enjoying libraries with over 6,200 titles each. This makes their cost per title as much as 4.5 times cheaper than average, and a whopping 17 times cheaper than the least cost-effective country, Guernsey, where titles are $0.00482 each (due to a well below-average library of 1,746 titles).

However, if you’re an avid movie fan, there is one country that stands out within the top 10 for real value for money. Thanks to its recent price reductions and total library size of 8,272 titles (including 5,969 movies and 2,303 TV series), Bulgaria is one of the best places to have a Netflix subscription. It enjoys a cost per title of $0.00064 for its basic plan, which is half the average.

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

At the other end of the scale are a number of African countries, Fiji, and Guernsey, where none of their plans are cost-effective, despite recent price reductions across the majority of these countries. This is due to library sizes that are nearly three times below average.

Guernsey, Uganda, and Seychelles are in the bottom three across all of the plans. For example, their cost per title across basic plans are $0.00482, $0.00412, and $0.00345 respectively. This is around three times more than the average cost per title.

If we remove these countries with library sizes of less than 2,000 titles, Liechtenstein, Israel, and Switzerland are the least cost-effective countries. Israel’s library is also below average (with 4,975) which impacts its cost per title ($0.00182) but it’s Liechtenstein’s and Switzerland’s vast costs per month that hamper their cost-effectiveness. At $12.78 per month for a basic plan (nearly double the average of $6.60), these two countries are certainly paying more to get more (Switzerland has a total library size of 7,154 titles and Liechtenstein has 6,380).

The US also features as one of the least cost-effective countries across all of its plans. This is due to its average library size and above-average monthly costs. It ranks as the twentieth least cost-effective country for its basic, standard, and premium plans.

Are Netflix basic plans with ads worth it?

One of the biggest advantages of streaming platforms over standard TV channels is their lack of adverts. So are the cheaper basic plans with ads on Netflix worth it? And do they offer the best value for money when we compare them to basic plans without ads from around the world?

It probably goes without saying that all 12 countries save a reasonable amount of money per title when opting for the basic plan with ads. But as the above table demonstrates, some get a better deal than others. The US and South Korea save the most per title when choosing the basic with ads plan (saving $0.0005 per title), while Brazil (which boasts the most cost-effective basic with ads plan) saves less than half this per title ($0.00023).

But none of these countries get a better deal per title than the six most cost-effective countries for basic plans without ads–Pakistan, India, Egypt, Morocco, Colombia, and Turkey. All of these countries pay less than $0.0006 per title, with Pakistanis paying as little as $0.00028 per title. And they all enjoy a slightly above-average library size.

The cheapest places to get Netflix

Here we can compare all of the countries Netflix is available in (245 in total) to see which countries pay the most and least for their subscriptions on a cost-per-month basis. We can also see just how the recent price hikes and cuts have affected these costs.

As well as being the most cost-effective country on a cost-per-title basis, Pakistan is also the most cost-effective country on a cost-per-month basis. At just $1.72, $3.06, and $4.20 per month for a basic, standard, and premium subscription, Pakistan’s prices win hands down. And when we consider its great library selection, Pakistanis get a great deal for their Netflix streaming service.

On average, users are now paying $6.59, $10.16, and $13.07 per month for their basic, standard, and premium Netflix subscriptions. This means Pakistanis are paying as much as $8.90 less than average for their subscriptions. Equally, a lot of the countries that have seen recent price reductions are paying around $3 less for each subscription tier.

In contrast, users in the US are paying as much as $6 more than average for their subscriptions, despite only getting access to a library that’s slightly above average (6,135 titles compared to 5,751).

But $6 is nothing compared to the two most expensive countries–Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Users in these countries pay $6 more than average for basic plans ($12.78 compared to $6.60), over $10 more than average for standard plans ($20.29 compared to $10.17), and over $13 more than average for premium plans ($26.73 compared to $13.10).

If you are looking to securely access your Netflix library from abroad, here are the best VPNs for Netflix currently available on the market.

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