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.

Following this week’s news of a price increase in the United Kingdom (just as people re-enter a national lockdown) and recent increases in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States, we’ve updated our analysis to find out where Netflix subscriptions are the most cost-effective.

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 46 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).

The results?

Our study shows a massive disparity when cost per title is analyzed between different countries.

Due to their incredibly cheap prices across all three plans, Argentina and Turkey are the most cost-effective countries to watch Netflix in. But their library sizes are slightly below average. Argentinians have access to 4,855 titles (1.7 percent below average and 27 percent fewer than Ireland which has the largest library). Those in Turkey have access to even fewer titles – 4,466 (10 percent below average and 35 percent fewer Ireland).

So, do you get more if you pay more?

Not necessarily, no.

Those with access to the largest libraries tend to feature mid-table when it comes to cost-effectiveness. Plus, as our previous studies have found, the more you pay for your plans in these countries, the less cost-effective they tend to be. Add the recent price hikes into the equation and customers in countries like Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States are getting less and less for their money.

How the recent price hikes have affected the cost-per-title rankings

• Australia: Last year, Australia featured as one of the top 10 most cost-effective countries for all three plans. Following the increase in its basic plan price (from AUD 9.99 to AUD 10.99), standard plan price (from AUD 13.99 to AUD 15.99), and premium plan (from AUD 17.99 to AUD 19.99), it no longer features in the top 10 for any of its plans. Instead, it only features in the bottom half of the top 20.*
• Canada: Despite finishing in the top 5 last year for all three plans, Canada’s price hikes on its standard and premium plans (from CAD 13.99 to CAD 14.99 and CAD 16.99 to CAD 18.99, respectively) have pushed it down the table for cost-effectiveness for its two more expensive plans. It finishes out of the top 10 for its standard plan and tenth for its premium one.*
• Ireland: While the Irish do have access to the largest number of titles, they get a raw deal when it comes to cost-effectiveness per title. Ireland features 20th for its basic plan, 26th for its standard plan, and 29th for its premium plan. Price hikes on its standard plan (from EUR 11.99 to EUR 12.99) and premium plan (from EUR 15.99 to EUR 17.99) mean Ireland is no more cost-effective than it was previously (in fact, it had slightly better rankings – 14th, 21st, and 22nd respectively – before).
• United Kingdom: Basic plan prices remain the same in the UK but standard plans and premium plans have increased by £1 and £2, respectively. This means it drops from tenth to 20th for its standard plan and from 12th to 26th for its premium plan.*
• United States: Previously, the United States featured mid-table across all three plans. But with a $1 increase on its standard plan and a $2 increase on its premium plan, it drops into 27th place for both (from 23rd and 21st respectively).*

*Some additional countries have been included in this update which has also altered the rankings but only by several positions (without the additions these countries would still have dropped through the rankings).

TIP – How to access different Netflix catalogs: You can access 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

As we have seen, when it comes to value for money, Argentina and Turkey win hands down on cost-per-title value across all three plans.

The average cost per title for basic plans is $0.00184. Argentinians pay $0.00048 and the Turkish pay $0.00055 making the cost per title in these countries 117 and 108 percent less per title, respectively. They also pay over 80 percent less per title for standard and premium plans.

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

At the other end of the scale are Denmark and Switzerland which feature at the bottom for all three plans when it comes to cost-effectiveness.

Both have expensive monthly costs and smaller-than-average library sizes. Switzerland has 4,392 in total – 12% less than average and Denmark has 3,864 in total – 24% less than average. This means Danish customers pay 150 or 138 percent more per title compared to Argentinians for basic or standard plans (59 or 50 percent more than average), while Swiss customers pay nearly 146 or 140 percent more per title than Argentinians for basic or standard plans (50 or 52 percent more than average). And both pay at least 134 percent more per title than Argentinians for their premium plans — around 50 percent more than average.

Making up the rest of the bottom 10 across all three plans are European countries. Despite many of these countries having lower-than-average library sizes (often over 2,000 less than Ireland’s library), these customers still pay an above-average fee for their Netflix subscriptions (or a premium price if you’re Swiss and have a standard or premium subscription).

Top 10 cheapest places to get Netflix

Argentina’s and Turkey’s unbeatable cost-per-title prices are, undoubtedly, due to their incredibly cheap costs per month.

At a cost per month of $2.34, $3.75, and $5.28 for basic, standard, or premium plans, respectively, Argentina is up to 115 percent cheaper than average subscription plans, over 100 percent cheaper than all UK subscriptions and US subscriptions.

In fact, on a cost-per-month basis, the US and UK don’t fare too well.

The UK just makes it into the top 15 for its basic plan but thanks to its price hikes across standard and premium plans, it falls dramatically through the rankings with each upgrade becoming the 12th and 13th most expensive place for standard and premium plans respectively. And for the first time ever, the UK becomes more expensive than the US for its premium plan (around $1 more based on current exchange rates).

Meanwhile, the US only just makes the top 25 for its basic plan (ranking 23) and finds itself as the 11th and 15th most expensive for standard and premium plans.

With the average cost per month being $8.65 for basic plans, $12.02 for standard, and $15.60 for premium, the US is 4, 15, or 14 percent more expensive, respectively. In contrast, the UK is nearly 6 percent cheaper for its basic plan but is 12 percent more expensive for its standard plan and nearly 20 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.

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. And, if you look closely, you’ll see they are made up solely of European countries with Nordic countries often getting the rawest deal (alongside Switzerland).

According to these statistics, if you live in Switzerland, you’re paying 43, 46, or 45 percent more than average for a basic, standard, or premium plan respectively. This is over 130 more per plan than Argentinians.

Where should you opt to watch Netflix?

Despite its large library size which is 25 percent larger than average, Ireland isn’t the place to opt for a Netflix subscription if you love a good deal (it’s the second-most expensive place per month for premium plans, along with Austria).

Bargain-lovers, however, may want to opt for a subscription in Argentina or Turkey but will have to sacrifice some titles in order to get their cheaper pricing.

But those who want the best of both worlds may be better opting for a subscription from the likes of the Philippines, Malaysia, or Indonesia. With cheaper-than-average prices across the board and some of the largest libraries (6,192, 6,361, and 6,264 titles respectively), you’ll enjoy access to a large selection of movies and TV shows while knowing you’re paying less than the average Netflix customer.

Not living in any of the aforementioned countries? Then here are the best VPNs for Netflix so you can get the version of Netflix you want — anywhere.

Sources

Full datasheet for all countries and plans: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vi66pkbCwJyzBcy4G8MFqmyZ–FtJkSfMssTPFiNgXg/edit?usp=sharing

JustWatch.com

uNoGS.com

https://www.imdb.com

https://data.oecd.org/earnwage/average-wages.htm

https://www.worlddata.info/average-income.php

https://www.worldbank.org