Items
7 everyday things, priced across up to 33 countries each. One of them is the subject of the puzzle every day.
Each item page ranks every country from cheapest to most expensive and explains what actually drives the spread — which is different in every case. Fuel is almost pure tax policy; apples are mostly climate and freight; a cappuccino is nearly all local rent and wages.
All items
$2.51 – $9.08Big Mac
33 countries · median $5.69
$0.40 – $2.46Coca-Cola (330ml can)
33 countries · median $1.37
$1.48 – $6.31Cappuccino
32 countries · median $3.67
$0.64 – $3.12Milk (1 litre)
32 countries · median $1.54
$0.91 – $7.68Eggs (dozen)
32 countries · median $3.46
$1.19 – $7.84Apples (1 kg)
32 countries · median $2.84
$0.43 – $2.47Gasoline (1 litre)
32 countries · median $1.38
Why the spread differs so much by item
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive country is not the same size for every product, and the reason is usually structural rather than about wealth. Goods that are heavy, perishable or grown in a specific climate — milk, apples — are priced by local supply. Goods that trade on a world market — fuel, coffee beans — should in theory cost the same everywhere, so whatever spread remains is mostly tax, subsidy and retail margin.
That makes fuel the widest spread in the game and one of the most informative: crude oil costs roughly the same to every buyer, so the difference between a litre in Egypt and a litre in Norway is almost entirely a policy choice.