Appliance Price Index Across 34 Countries

If you’re curious about how much everyday appliances cost worldwide, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we explore and compare the price points of similar Samsung appliance models across 34 countries to determine where it’s cheapest and most expensive to get these products. 

The process

Specifically, we studied prices for five everyday appliances: microwaves, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers across 34 countries, which you can check out below: 

  1. India
  2. Colombia
  3. Poland
  4. South Korea
  5. Romania
  6. Slovakia
  7. Ukraine
  8. Hungary
  9. United Arab Emirates
  10. Oman
  11. Kuwait
  12. Germany
  13. Qatar
  14. Australia
  15. Portugal
  16. Czech Republic
  17. Chile
  18. Mexico
  19. Italy
  20. Netherlands
  21. South Africa
  22. United Kingdom
  23. Canada
  24. United States
  25. Kazakhstan
  26. Norway
  27. Sweden
  28. Luxembourg
  29. Belgium
  30. Spain
  31. Turkey
  32. Finland
  33. Singapore
  34. Denmark

Here are some of our key takeaways: 

  • Even though appliances cost less price-wise in a specific country, it doesn’t mean it’s affordable. For example, India, Ukraine, South Africa, and Kazakhstan may have the lowest prices for the five appliances across the 34 countries we studied, but it’s also the least affordable when compared to the average monthly wage for those countries. 
  • In the same breath, it may seem more expensive to buy these appliances in Luxembourg, Norway, Qatar, and the United States when you look at the price, but it’s actually more affordable for the people living there. 
  • Prices of goods like appliances are determined by regional pricing dictated by the brand or supplier. It’s based on different factors such as local sales trends, currency exchange rates, and the state of the economy of the country. Basically, they level prices with the purchasing power of a population, which you can see in this article very clearly.

The prices of microwaves mapped

The Price of Microwave per Country

In the image above, we mapped out the prices of a microwave across our 34 chosen countries. 

From our data on the prices of microwaves, we found out that it’s the cheapest in India, with a retail price of $76.92 and the most expensive in Finland at $192.22. 

If you want to see them ranked according to price, here’s a rundown from least to most expensive. 

The Least and Most Afforable Microwave

The prices of refrigerators mapped

The prices of refrigerators mapped

Moving on to a big-ticket everyday appliance, check out our map of the prices of refrigerators per country. 

Through our research of prices, we found out that similarly with microwaves, it’s the least expensive to buy them in India, with a price of $157.72. 

If you’re looking for the most expensive end of the spectrum, that would be Denmark, with a price of $1,020.14. 

We ranked them according to price again, from least expensive to most expensive, check out this list below:

The Least and Most Afforable Refrigerator

The prices of washing machines mapped

The prices of washing machines mapped

Moving on to the data for washing machines, we discovered that it’s still the cheapest in India at $178.41 and most expensive in Denmark at $862.07. 

Now check out where it’s the least and most expensive in this graphic below: 

The Least and Most Afforable Washing Machine

The prices of dryers mapped

The prices of dryers mapped

Of course, after talking about washing machines, we can’t miss out on discussing the prices of dryers. Dryers cost the lowest in the United States, with a price of $499.00. 

It’s the most expensive in Chile at $1,222.39. Here’s a ranking of countries from the cheapest to the most expensive dryer prices:

prices of dryers

The prices of dishwashers mapped

The prices of dishwashers mapped

As seen on the map, dishwashers are the least expensive in Ukraine at $271.83, and most expensive in Singapore at $978.49. 

We then ranked the countries based on price again, from lowest to highest: 

The Least and Most Afforable Dishwasher

The average costs of appliances per country

Now that we’ve seen the data for our 34 countries, it’s time to see the average prices of appliances. We’ve ranked them this time from the highest average pricing to the lowest, and this is what we saw:

average costs of appliances per country

In terms of pricing alone, Denmark is the country with the most expensive cost of appliances with an average of $686.75. 

As predicted from the data we mentioned earlier, the lowest appliance prices can be observed in India. 

Price VS median monthly income 

Of course, just because the price is the least expensive somewhere doesn’t mean it’s the most affordable. We also checked the data for the average monthly income per country to see what percentage the pricing is compared to an average person’s income. 

The state of a country’s economy plays such a crucial role in pricing, as well as cost structures, local market needs, and even currency exchange rates. So it’s important to keep that in mind when viewing data like this. 

Microwaves

CountryDollar PriceAverage IncomePercentage of monthly income
Qatar$86.51$5,193.001.665896399
Kuwait$85.77$4,654.001.842930812
Luxembourg$136.73$7,349.001.860525242
Oman$85.76$4,059.002.112835674
Australia$104.69$4,764.002.19752309
Singapore$117.95$5,334.002.211286089
Norway$170.22$6,990.002.435193133
United Arab Emirates$85.76$3,481.002.463659868
Germany$116.50$4,305.002.706155633
United States$188.00$5,911.003.180510912
Netherlands$147.31$4,600.003.202391304
Denmark$186.67$5,692.003.279515109
Canada$132.29$4,026.003.285891704
Sweden$167.16$4,962.003.368802902
Belgium$148.07$4,208.003.518773764
South Korea$109.98$2,926.003.758714969
United Kingdom$141.32$3,707.003.8122471
Finland$192.22$4,459.004.310832025
Italy$135.92$2,999.004.532177392
Slovakia$104.82$2,304.004.549479167
Spain$145.01$2,474.005.861358124
Portugal$127.36$1,991.006.396785535
Chile$87.30$1,320.006.613636364
Hungary$105.74$1,478.007.154262517
Poland$113.48$1,404.008.082621083
Romania$95.81$1,180.008.119491525
Czech Republic$148.63$1,773.008.382966723
Mexico$125.03$799.0015.64831039
Colombia$86.09$516.0016.68410853
Turkey$147.58$825.0017.88848485
Kazakhstan$141.11$739.0019.0947226
South Africa$109.57$544.0020.14154412
Ukraine$97.84$343.0028.52478134
India$76.92$179.0042.97206704

Let’s start with the data on microwaves. Even though it’s least expensive in terms of pricing in India, it’s actually the least affordable there. 

Why do we say that? It’s because although it costs $76.92, the average monthly income is at $179.00 – that’s 42.97% of their monthly income. 

Following this logic, it’s most affordable for the people in Qatar where it costs $86.51 and the average monthly income at $5,193.00 – just 1.67%. 

Refrigerators

CountryDollar PriceAverage incomePercentage of monthly income
Singapore$459.20$5,334.008.608923885
Luxembourg$634.87$7,349.008.63886243
Qatar$549.03$5,193.0010.57250144
Australia$526.07$4,764.0011.04261125
Kuwait$544.27$4,654.0011.69467125
Norway$854.93$6,990.0012.23075823
Netherlands$581.81$4,600.0012.64804348
United States$764.00$5,911.0012.92505498
Oman$544.24$4,059.0013.40822863
Germany$605.76$4,305.0014.07108014
Belgium$638.08$4,208.0015.1634981
United Kingdom$576.48$3,707.0015.5511195
United Arab Emirates$544.24$3,481.0015.63458776
South Korea$481.62$2,926.0016.46001367
Sweden$839.53$4,962.0016.91918581
Denmark$1,020.14$5,692.0017.92234715
Canada$772.18$4,026.0019.1798311
Finland$965.38$4,459.0021.65014577
Italy$662.73$2,999.0022.09836612
Slovakia$514.59$2,304.0022.33463542
Czech Republic$496.48$1,773.0028.00225606
Spain$708.60$2,474.0028.64187551
Chile$399.14$1,320.0030.23787879
Portugal$636.25$1,991.0031.95630337
Hungary$516.52$1,478.0034.94722598
Poland$500.10$1,404.0035.61965812
Romania$567.19$1,180.0048.06694915
Mexico$521.54$799.0065.27409262
Kazakhstan$586.23$739.0079.32746955
Colombia$441.03$516.0085.47093023
Turkey$722.28$825.0087.54909091
India$157.72$179.0088.11173184
South Africa$712.50$544.00130.9742647
Ukraine$562.71$343.00164.0553936

For refrigerators, it’s most affordable in Singapore, with the price at $459.20 vs their average monthly income at $5,334.00. That’s 8.61% of their income. 

It’s most expensive in Ukraine with a price of $562.71 and a $343.00 – making that 164% of their average monthly wages. 

Washing machines 

CountryDollar PriceAverage incomePercentage of monthly income
Qatar$356.77$5,193.006.870209898
Singapore$377.60$5,334.007.079115111
Kuwait$353.68$4,654.007.599484315
Luxembourg$634.87$7,349.008.63886243
Oman$353.66$4,059.008.712983493
Australia$427.30$4,764.008.969353484
Norway$664.73$6,990.009.509728183
United Arab Emirates$353.66$3,481.0010.15972422
Germany$480.15$4,305.0011.1533101
United States$674.00$5,911.0011.40246997
Netherlands$528.82$4,600.0011.49608696
Sweden$606.07$4,962.0012.21422813
South Korea$401.29$2,926.0013.71462748
United Kingdom$540.37$3,707.0014.57701646
Denmark$862.07$5,692.0015.14529164
Belgium$638.08$4,208.0015.1634981
Canada$618.11$4,026.0015.35295579
Slovakia$358.94$2,304.0015.57899306
Italy$504.69$2,999.0016.82860954
Finland$750.61$4,459.0016.83359498
Chile$261.93$1,320.0019.84318182
Portugal$413.19$1,991.0020.752888
Spain$602.29$2,474.0024.34478577
Poland$377.29$1,404.0026.87250712
Czech Republic$496.48$1,773.0028.00225606
Hungary$437.02$1,478.0029.56833559
Romania$399.15$1,180.0033.82627119
Mexico$505.72$799.0063.29411765
Colombia$340.21$516.0065.93217054
Kazakhstan$499.38$739.0067.57510149
Turkey$606.28$825.0073.48848485
South Africa$465.84$544.0085.63235294
India$178.41$179.0099.67039106
Ukraine$380.57$343.00110.9533528

Upon calculating and comparing the percentage of the cost of washing machines to the country’s average monthly income, we saw that it’s most affordable in Qatar. 

It costs $356.77, which is 6.87% of their $5,193.00 income. It’s the least affordable in Ukraine, with a $380.57 price point compared to their $343.00 income – that’s 110.95%!

Dryers

CountryDollar PriceAverage incomePercentage of monthly income
United States$499.00$5,911.008.441888005
Norway$664.73$6,990.009.509728183
Luxembourg$846.85$7,349.0011.52333651
Sweden$652.76$4,962.0013.15517936
Canada$545.41$4,026.0013.54719324
Australia$690.67$4,764.0014.49769102
Germany$656.45$4,305.0015.2485482
Qatar$823.68$5,193.0015.86135182
Netherlands$740.78$4,600.0016.10391304
Denmark$933.92$5,692.0016.4075896
Finland$750.61$4,459.0016.83359498
Kuwait$816.54$4,654.0017.54490761
Belgium$838.35$4,208.0019.92276616
United Kingdom$739.59$3,707.0019.95117346
Oman$816.50$4,059.0020.11579207
Italy$641.66$2,999.0021.3957986
South Korea$628.78$2,926.0021.48940533
Singapore$1,163.95$5,334.0021.82133483
United Arab Emirates$816.50$3,481.0023.45590348
Slovakia$584.47$2,304.0025.36762153
Spain$729.31$2,474.0029.47898141
Portugal$645.81$1,991.0032.43646409
Czech Republic$677.18$1,773.0038.19402143
Poland$600.16$1,404.0042.74643875
Hungary$728.53$1,478.0049.29161028
Romania$610.84$1,180.0051.76610169
Mexico$560.11$799.0070.10137672
Chile$1,222.39$1,320.0092.60530303
Colombia$504.03$516.0097.68023256
Turkey$885.73$825.00107.3612121
Kazakhstan$966.21$739.00130.7456022
South Africa$712.50$544.00130.9742647
Ukraine$782.91$343.00228.2536443
India$883.68$179.00493.6759777

As for dryers, we noticed that it’s the most affordable in the United States. With a $499.00 price point vs their $5,911.00 average monthly income, that amounts to just 0.084% of their income. 

Meanwhile, in India, it’s $883.68, which is almost five times the usual monthly income of $179.00. 

Dishwashers

CountryDollar PriceAverage Monthly IncomePercentage of monthly income
Norway$379.44$6,990.005.42832618
Luxembourg$525.71$7,349.007.153490271
Denmark$430.96$5,692.007.57132818
United States$499.00$5,911.008.441888005
Qatar$466.63$5,193.008.985750048
Finland$417.72$4,459.009.368019735
Germany$409.71$4,305.009.517073171
Netherlands$444.04$4,600.009.653043478
Kuwait$462.59$4,654.009.939621831
Sweden$512.68$4,962.0010.33212414
Oman$462.56$4,059.0011.39591032
Canada$472.69$4,026.0011.74093393
Australia$559.45$4,764.0011.74328296
South Korea$355.67$2,926.0012.15550239
Belgium$528.36$4,208.0012.55608365
United Arab Emirates$462.56$3,481.0013.28813559
United Kingdom$540.37$3,707.0014.57701646
Italy$473.08$2,999.0015.77459153
Singapore$978.49$5,334.0018.34439445
Slovakia$481.77$2,304.0020.91015625
Portugal$487.55$1,991.0024.48769463
Spain$634.04$2,474.0025.62813258
Poland$375.02$1,404.0026.71082621
Romania$342.41$1,180.0029.01779661
Czech Republic$541.65$1,773.0030.5499154
Hungary$460.87$1,478.0031.18200271
Chile$436.56$1,320.0033.07272727
Kazakhstan$510.23$739.0069.04330176
Turkey$585.19$825.0070.93212121
Ukraine$271.83$343.0079.25072886
Mexico$701.51$799.0087.79849812
Colombia$462.03$516.0089.54069767
South Africa$493.25$544.0090.67095588
India$450.86$179.00251.877095

Lastly, for dishwashers, we saw that it’s the most affordable in Norway despite having a more expensive price. It costs $379.44 compared to their $6,990.00 per month income (around 5.43%). 

It’s the least affordable in India which is at $450.86 compared to their monthly wage of $179.00. 

Final thoughts 

We hope we were able to help you identify the prices of appliances per country and how affordable or expensive they are at a wider perspective. 

Are you from any of these countries? Let us know your thoughts. 

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