"Cost of living and purchasing power related to average income

We adjusted the average cost of living inside the USA (based on 2021 and 2022) to an index of 100. All other countries are related to this index. Therefore with an index of e.g. 80, the usual expenses in another country are 20% less then in the United States.

The monthly income (please do not confuse this with a wage or salary) is calculated from the gross national income per capita.

The calculated purchasing power index is again based on a value of 100 for the United States. If it is higher, people can afford more based on the cost of living in relation to income. If it is lower, the population is less wealthy.

The example of Switzerland: With a cost of living index of 142 all goods are on average about 42% more expensive than in the USA. But the average income in Switzerland of 7,550 USD is also 28% higher, which means that citizens can also afford more goods. Now you calculate the 42% higher costs against the 28% higher income. In the result, people in Switzerland can afford about 10 percent less than a US citizen."

Source: https://www.worlddata.info/cost-of-living.php

The average for 2021 based on 165 countries was 79.81 index points. The highest value was in Bermuda: 212.7 index points and the lowest value was in Syria: 33.25 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Inflation is generally defined as the continued increase in the average prices of goods and services in a given region. Following the extremely high global inflation experienced in the 1980s and 1990s, global inflation has been relatively stable since the turn of the millennium, usually hovering between three and five percent per year. There was a sharp increase in 2008 due to the global financial crisis now known as the Great Recession, but inflation was fairly stable throughout the 2010s, before the current inflation crisis began in 2021. Recent years Despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the global inflation rate fell to 3.26 percent in the pandemic's first year, before rising to 4.66 percent in 2021. This increase came as the impact of supply chain delays began to take more of an effect on consumer prices, before the Russia-Ukraine war exacerbated this further. A series of compounding issues such as rising energy and food prices, fiscal instability in the wake of the pandemic, and consumer insecurity have created a new global recession, and global inflation in 2024 is estimated to have reached 5.76 percent. This is the highest annual increase in inflation since 1996. Venezuela Venezuela is the country with the highest individual inflation rate in the world, forecast at around 200 percent in 2022. While this is figure is over 100 times larger than the global average in most years, it actually marks a decrease in Venezuela's inflation rate, which had peaked at over 65,000 percent in 2018. Between 2016 and 2021, Venezuela experienced hyperinflation due to the government's excessive spending and printing of money in an attempt to curve its already-high inflation rate, and the wave of migrants that left the country resulted in one of the largest refugee crises in recent years. In addition to its economic problems, political instability and foreign sanctions pose further long-term problems for Venezuela. While hyperinflation may be coming to an end, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the economy, how living standards will change, and how many refugees may return in the coming years.

Russia Living Cost: Average per Month: Annual data was reported at 14,375.000 RUB in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 12,654.000 RUB for 2022. Russia Living Cost: Average per Month: Annual data is updated yearly, averaging 12,654.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2023, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14,375.000 RUB in 2023 and a record low of 11,653.000 RUB in 2021. Russia Living Cost: Average per Month: Annual data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF001: Living Cost.

The average for 2021 based on 40 countries was 69.86 index points. The highest value was in Israel: 188.01 index points and the lowest value was in Syria: 33.25 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

According to a survey among Chinese consumers in December 2021, ** percent of the respondents confirmed that they spent more on housing compared to six months ago, significantly lower than the global average of ** percent. In comparison, ** percent of Chinese respondents didn't perceive price changes regarding housing costs.

Living Cost: Average per Month: Children: Annual data was reported at 13,944.000 RUB in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 12,274.000 RUB for 2022. Living Cost: Average per Month: Children: Annual data is updated yearly, averaging 12,274.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2023, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,944.000 RUB in 2023 and a record low of 11,303.000 RUB in 2021. Living Cost: Average per Month: Children: Annual data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF004: Living Cost: Children.

According to a survey among Chinese consumers in December 2021, nearly half of the respondents confirmed that they spent more on food and drinks compared to six months ago, somewhat lower than the global average of ** percent. In comparison, about ** percent of the Chinese respondents didn't perceive any price changes regarding food costs.

The average for 2021 based on 41 countries was 107.05 index points. The highest value was in Switzerland: 211.98 index points and the lowest value was in Belarus: 40.99 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Living Cost: Average per Month: CR: City of Sevastopol data was reported at 15,762.000 RUB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 14,519.000 RUB for 2023. Living Cost: Average per Month: CR: City of Sevastopol data is updated yearly, averaging 14,219.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2024, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15,762.000 RUB in 2024 and a record low of 11,380.000 RUB in 2021. Living Cost: Average per Month: CR: City of Sevastopol data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF001: Living Cost.

Living Cost: Children: Average per Month: FE: Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) data was reported at 25,974.000 RUB in 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 23,801.000 RUB for 2024. Living Cost: Children: Average per Month: FE: Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) data is updated yearly, averaging 22,560.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2025, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25,974.000 RUB in 2025 and a record low of 19,201.000 RUB in 2021. Living Cost: Children: Average per Month: FE: Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF004: Living Cost: Children.

Ireland: Cost of living index, world average = 100: The latest value from 2021 is 175.68 index points, an increase from 157.19 index points in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 79.81 index points, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for Ireland from 2017 to 2021 is 166.44 index points. The minimum value, 157.19 index points, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 175.68 index points was recorded in 2021.

The average for 2021 based on 11 countries was 67.5 index points. The highest value was in Uruguay: 100.24 index points and the lowest value was in Suriname: 43.15 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: Far East Federal District (FE): Republic of Buryatia data was reported at 16,623.000 RUB in 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 14,486.000 RUB for 2024. Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: Far East Federal District (FE): Republic of Buryatia data is updated yearly, averaging 13,475.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2025, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,623.000 RUB in 2025 and a record low of 10,372.000 RUB in 2021. Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: Far East Federal District (FE): Republic of Buryatia data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF003: Living Cost: Pensioner.

The average for 2021 based on 50 countries was 57.94 index points. The highest value was in Zimbabwe: 90.09 index points and the lowest value was in Egypt: 37.46 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

According to a survey among Chinese consumers in *************, ** percent of the respondents confirmed that they spent more on transportation compared to six months ago, significantly lower than the global average of ** percent. In comparison, more than half of the Chinese respondents didn't perceive any price changes regarding transportation costs.

Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: FE: Zabaikalsk Territory data was reported at 15,549.000 RUB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 14,464.000 RUB for 2023. Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: FE: Zabaikalsk Territory data is updated yearly, averaging 14,234.500 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2024, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15,549.000 RUB in 2024 and a record low of 11,256.000 RUB in 2021. Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: FE: Zabaikalsk Territory data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF003: Living Cost: Pensioner.

The Global Cost of 1GB of Mobile Data

How Much Does it Really Cost?

By Andy Kriebel [source]

About this dataset

This dataset contains the average price of 1GB of mobile data by country. It includes data for over 150 countries, providing a valuable resource for anyone interested in global mobile data pricing trends. The data is sourced from Visual Capitalist, and was last updated in 2021

How to use the dataset

This dataset contains the average price of 1GB of mobile data by country as of April 2021. The data is sourced from Visual Capitalist.

To use this dataset, you can simply download it and then open it in your preferred spreadsheet software. The dataset is organized by rank, with the most expensive countries being listed first. Each row also lists the country's name and its corresponding average price for 1GB of mobile data.

If you want to compare the cost of mobile data across different countries, this dataset provides a useful starting point. You can also use it to track how prices have changed over time by comparing against previous editions of the dataset

Research Ideas

1. To compare the cost of living in different countries.

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2. To find out which countries have the most expensive mobile data plans.

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**3. To see how the cost of mobile data has changed over time

Acknowledgements

Data Source

License

License: Dataset copyright by authors - You are free to: - Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially. - Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. - You must: - Give appropriate credit - Provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. - ShareAlike - You must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. - Keep intact - all notices that refer to this license, including copyright notices.

Columns

File: Cost of 1GB of Data.csv | Column name | Description | |:---------------------------|:---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Rank | The rank of the country based on the cost of 1GB of mobile data. (Numeric) | | Country | The country where the data was collected. (String) | | Avg Price of 1GB (USD) | The average price of 1GB of mobile data in the country, in USD. (Numeric) |

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit Andy Kriebel.

Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: CR: City of Sevastopol data was reported at 13,555.000 RUB in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 12,486.000 RUB for 2023. Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: CR: City of Sevastopol data is updated yearly, averaging 12,228.000 RUB from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2024, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,555.000 RUB in 2024 and a record low of 9,862.000 RUB in 2021. Living Cost: Pensioners: Average per Month: CR: City of Sevastopol data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Russia Premium Database’s Household Survey – Table RU.HF003: Living Cost: Pensioner.

The average for 2021 based on 45 countries was 58.33 index points. The highest value was in Zimbabwe: 90.09 index points and the lowest value was in Sudan: 38.32 index points. The indicator is available from 2017 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.