- [Narrator] These days it seems like a dollar doesn't buy me much at all. But it turns out a dollar can buy some pretty interesting
things around the world. From a bottle of wine, to a 45 minute foot massage in the Philippines. Prepare to be amazed by this list revealing how far your
dollars potentially stretch in different countries around the world. (whimsical music) First let's take a look at
an interesting economic term called Purchasing Power Parity. It helps us universally compare how much of one currency is needed to buy a number of goods in another country. One informal way of measuring this is using the Big Mac Index as published by The Economist newspaper since 1986. The index basically tells
us how much, in dollars, a Big Mac hamburger from
McDonald's costs around the world. For example, a Big Mac
currently costs three pounds, 20 pence or 4 dollars
and 25 cents in England, but about 5 U.S. dollars
and 28 cents in America. This data indidcates
it's about 20% cheaper to buy a Big Mac in England than America. Though it doesn't fully
indicate the difference in living costs, since
eating at McDonald's in less developed
countries is more expensive than local restaurants, this
data gives a rough indication. So without further ado,
let's get on with it. Hungary. Hungary has a long tradition of producing good quality wines. In fact it was one of the
most respected wine regions up through the 19th century. Then unfortunately,
communism came to Hungary and killed the wine industry. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the country has been
getting back on its feet and using them to stomp grapes into wine. Okay, I don't think anyone
makes wine like that anymore, but Hungary is slowing
recovering from communism and prices for things like
wine are still very low. Bottles of wine often go
for less than $5 bucks, and some travelers have
reported buying a bottle for the equivalent of
a single U.S. dollar. The main reason is
because the wine is grown and sold in Hungary at a
cheaper cost than elsewhere. It's price would increase
if it had to be imported to countries like America as
it would be subject to tariffs, taxes and other producer distributor cuts. And if you want some
cheese to go with your wine you can buy some for a
little under 3 dollars. Still hungry in Hungary? $1 will also buy you a
kürtőskalács pastry which looks a lot like those
cinnamon sugar pretzels they sell at the mall, put on a stick. It will cost around
three dollars, 25 cents for a Big Mac in Hungary, which is around 40% cheaper than one in the US. India. In India, $1 will buy 33 cups of chai tea, although India is predicted
to become a superpower one day, the annual median income there's only a little more than 600 U.S. dollars, so production inputs are
much cheaper than elsewhere. The ingredients and
production costs are so cheap, their educated estimates pen the cost of a typical cup at
around two Indian rupees that's 3 cents, assuming
you made it yourself. To have one served at a restaurant, you'd still good around six
cups for a single dollar. Not only that, a Big Mac
there is only $1 and 62 cents, but granted, it's a non beef version, and far more expensive
than local restaurants. Still, I know where I'm going
on holiday next, Brazil. In many parts of the
world, fruit is cheaper than it is here in the US,
because they produce it domestically and prices aren't inflated by the cost and taxes
associated with importing. In Brazil for instance,
you could buy a pound of apples for $1. You can also get around two cups of coffee there for $1, which makes
it almost six times cheaper than the US, but that's
understandable since Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and the domestic supply of coffee is huge, subduing its price. If you want even more cheap fruit then head over to Ghana,
where you could pick up two pounds of oranges for the same amount, that's a little less
than half what I'd pay for a pound of oranges in the US. Fruit in general is a big export for the African country of Ghana, making up 17% of its non
traditional exports in 2011. Vietnam. Vietnam is another good country to visit on a budget, you can buy a hat, a DVD, or even three pairs
of inexpensive sandals for $1 there. For just 2 dollars and 81 cents, you can pick up a Big Mac there, but if you eat at a local restaurant, a full meal will typically cost around one and a half dollars,
that's because it'll likely be a rice based dish, and Vietnam's one of the biggest rice
producers in the world. You could buy 3 and a half
pounds of rice there for $1, whereas you'd barely
get half a pound of it in America for that price. In Vietnam, $1 will also buy a whole day of bicycle rentals, 40 quail eggs, or two chilled Halida beers. Before I reveal the next example, you subscribe if you're
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have filled your brain. Now let's get back to it. France. Aside from snails, one
food France is known for is it's delicious fresh baked bread. There, you can buy a whole
baguette for around $1, that's over half the price
of the same loaf in America. French bread is so cheap
because it's supplied in high quantities, the price is tightly controlled by Consumer organizations, and many bakers use less
expensive ingredients. However, if it tastes
good, it's probably fresh, because the baguette is
crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and
go stale very quickly. Austria. While I'm on the subject of bread, kornspitz is the most popular kind of bread roll in Europe,
and in Vienna, Austria, you can get one for only $1, and no despite its name,
it doesn't have anything to do with corn, the original kornspitz is a bread product that
contains high quality, locally produced ingredients,
so it tastes good, while being inexpensively produced. Russia. Feel like drinking some vodka? You can make your own inexpensively in Russia were half a pint of this stuff, presumably their standard serving, cost approximately $1,
whereas the same amount would cost you about $4 in America. $1 also buys you two
kilograms of potatoes. When I think of potatoes, I
mostly think a french fries, but in Russia, the mighty
potato goes in everything, from soups, to salads, to deserts. Why? because it's extremely
hardy and resilient and can even survive growing
in the tough Russian winters, that's why they grow loads of them, and along with onions, they're one seventh the price of potatoes in America. Root vegetables, like the potato, are integral to the economy of Russia. Ukraine. If you really like root
vegetables then forget Russia, head over to Ukraine, there you could buy almost three kilograms of assorted potatoes and onions for $1. Switzerland. All right, enough about
the cheaper countries where you can live for
a few dollars a day, now on to Switzerland,
the most expensive place you can buy a Big Mac. Here it will cost you
6 dollars and 76 cents, 20% more than in the United States. A single dollar won't get you far in this country at all, maybe a single piece of chocolate, if you're lucky. In fact, you could barely buy
a single french fry for $1, a single meal at an
inexpensive restaurant here will cost about $25,
almost twice the price is an equivalent meal in the US. It's so expensive because their wages are much higher than
the rest of the world. After all, you're not rich unless you have a Swiss bank account. Philippines. All this globe trotting,
it's making my feet hurt, I need a nice foot massage,
and in the Philippines province of Cebu, I can get
a foot massage for only $1. One massage parlor there with good reviews offers a 20 minute massage for a buck, while another traveler
claims to have received a 30 to 45 minute foot
massage for the same amount. Part of the reason is
that workers earn far less in the Philippines than
in the United States, around 20 times less. Egypt. This country has a lot more
than just the pyramids, being one of the largest
tomato producers in the world. For a single dollar, you could buy three and a half kilograms,
or roughly eight pounds of tomatoes, you couldn't
even get a single pound, or half a kilogram of tomatoes in the United States for that price. Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, one dozen eggs will only cost you $1 as well. Syndication of big poultry
companies has lead to increased egg production,
so the larger companies are selling eggs cheaply. This is bad for small and
medium sized egg producers, but good for consumers,
even though consumer prices are much higher than egg market prices. For $1, that makes a dozen
eggs an egg-cellent deal. Colombia. If you want a different
taste for breakfast, you can get a cup of coffee and two freshly baked cookies for
$1 in Bogota Colombia. It's also more likely to be a
good quality Arabica coffee, rather than Robusta, since Columbia is the premier producer of high
quality Arabica beans. In this South American country,
coffee is so important, it's believed the economy
would collapse without it. 560,000 Coffee farms
throughout the country contribute to coffee being
Colombia's biggest export, but inside Columbia, the obsession with growing and producing coffee
has led to low prices, in fact the drink is so popular, people spend money on it all day, not just in the morning. You can get an even cheaper cup of joe called tinto, or inky
water for only 10 cents, but I think I'll stick with the premium one dollar cup, Thanks. Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, you could get a papaya, a watermelon and a pineapple for just $1. The warm climate makes the country a great place to grow fruit,
and fruit prices overall are very low in this country. Rome. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, that means taking a
gladiator picture right? Okay, Rome doesn't have
gladiators anymore, but you can still get your picture taken at the Coliseum for a dollar. Actually the picture is
free, but it's customary to tip the local actors dressed up in that Gladiator uniform at least $1, I know it is quite expensive, but it is the capital city of a developed nation. At least their bottled
water is quite cheap, you can pick up two large
bottles for about $1, four times cheaper than in America, where big companies charge more, simply because they can. Norway. Here's another highly
developed, expensive nation where a Big Mac will cost you over $6. Whereas in the United
States, you'd be able to buy a carton of milk for $1, in Norway, that's going to be at
least double the price. The same thing goes for bottled water, meat and alcohol. On the other hand, at
least fruit and vegetables may be cheaper. You can pick up three apples for a dollar and bananas are about half the price there then they are in the States. Beijing, China. In Beijing, China, fried
foods on sticks are popular, and many costs the
equivalent of one US dollar. Fried eggplant on a
stick is one such treat. That may sound weird to
you, but wait till you hear what else you can get for a buck, fried Scorpion, silkworm cocoons, or centipedes on a stick. No thanks. I think I'll
go with the eggplant, or the 50 cent can of Coke,
which is literally a sweet deal. Venezuela. Being able to fill up the gas tank for $1 seems like something that only happens in really old black and white movies, but in Venezuela, it's
currently a reality, as gas there costs about 25 times less than it costs in the US. In this South American country, gas prices are strictly controlled by the government. Although the country is oil rich, keeping prices so low is still believed to cost the government 12
billion dollars a year. In 1989 there was an
attempt to raise prices, but that set off a series of riots and the government backed down, only raising it once in 1994. Then in 2016, changes to
the government gas subsidy caused the price to skyrocket
to 15 cents a gallon, causing great concern for Venezuelans. As for me, if I visited Venezuela, I'd be trying to figure out how to sneak a tank of gas or 10 into my carry on for the return flight home. Germany. Moving to Germany, gas is
a whopping $8 a gallon, but the good news is you
can buy four rolls of toilet paper for $1, mostly
because the efficient Germans have toilet paper production figured out pretty well. Or if you're in the mood to splurge, you can make two visits
to a public restroom. Yeah, pay toilets are a thing in Germany, making the four pack of
party paper a real steel, but if you have another dollar, you can rehydrate with a
$1 Köstritzer dark ale. So have you made any
incredible purchases abroad? Let me know in the
comments section down below and thanks for watching. (calm music)
