Netflix Price by Country 2026: The Global Affordability Gap
Netflix Standard costs $19.99 in the US but $3.24 in Egypt. See how 20 countries compare by price and hours of work needed to afford it.
Table of Contents
Netflix raised all US plan prices on March 26, 2026. Standard is now $19.99/month — the most expensive it’s ever been. But the price itself isn’t the full story. The global gap is.
The 6x Price Gap
Netflix Standard costs $19.99/month in the US. The exact same plan — same catalog depth, same app, same 1080p quality — costs $3.24 in Egypt.
That’s a 6.2x price gap for an identical digital product. Here’s what Netflix charges across 20 countries:
| Country | Local Price | USD Price | Time to Afford |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | EGP 170 | $3.24 | 3.8 hours of work |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | NGN 6,500 | $4.70 | 11.8 hours of work |
| 🇮🇳 India | ₹499 | $5.30 | 5.3 hours of work |
| 🇹🇷 Turkey | ₺289.99 | $6.54 | 1.8 hours of work |
| 🇮🇩 Indonesia | IDR 120,000 | $7.12 | 7.0 hours of work |
| 🇵🇭 Philippines | ₱449 | $7.48 | 6.6 hours of work |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | R$44.90 | $8.62 | 3.0 hours of work |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | ₩13,500 | $9.00 | 40 minutes |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | ¥1,590 | $10.00 | 38 minutes |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | ฿349 | $10.70 | 5.4 hours of work |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | ARS 14,999 | $10.88 | 4.8 hours of work |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | zł49 | $13.24 | 1.9 hours of work |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | CA$18.99 | $13.76 | 40 minutes |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | MXN 249 | $14.03 | 5.5 hours of work |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | A$20.99 | $14.61 | 41 minutes |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | €13.99 | $16.19 | 50 minutes |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | £12.99 | $17.33 | 57 minutes |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | S$22.98 | $17.95 | 45 minutes |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $19.99 | $19.99 | 42 minutes |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | CHF 22.90 | $28.92 | 56 minutes |
Time to Afford = price ÷ local median hourly wage. Source: PriceWorld Affordability Ratio (PAR), ILOSTAT median income data.
The Affordability Gap
Look at the “Time to Afford” column. A US worker earns their Netflix in 42 minutes. A Nigerian worker needs almost 12 hours — for the same service.
Netflix is 6x cheaper in Nigeria by sticker price, but it takes 17x longer to earn. In Egypt ($3.24), it’s 3.8 hours of median work. In India ($5.30), it’s 5.3 hours. These aren’t edge cases — they represent over 1.5 billion people.
The PAR Score: Measuring True Affordability
The PriceWorld Affordability Ratio (PAR) normalizes prices against local purchasing power. A PAR of 1.0 means a service costs the same share of income everywhere. Netflix’s PAR ranges from 0.7 (Turkey, South Korea) to 16.9 (Nigeria), showing that regional pricing hasn’t kept pace with actual affordability.
150% More Than Launch — 3x Inflation
Netflix Standard launched at $7.99 in 2011. It’s now $19.99 — a 150% increase in 15 years.
US CPI inflation over the same period: roughly 45% (BLS CPI data). Netflix has outpaced inflation by more than 3x.
The Revenue Math
Netflix has approximately 85 million US and Canada subscribers. At $2/month more per subscriber, this hike generates roughly $2 billion in additional annual revenue — assuming zero subscriber churn.
For context, Netflix spent $17 billion on content in 2025. This single price increase covers over 10% of next year’s content budget.
Which Countries Are Next?
The March 2026 hike is US-only. Canada was explicitly excluded. Netflix is increasingly moving away from synchronized global hikes toward market-by-market pricing.
What to watch for:
- Canada, UK, Australia: Likely targets for a separate hike later in 2026, possibly Q3–Q4
- European markets: Netflix has already raised prices in several EU countries independently in recent months
- Emerging markets (India, Turkey, Brazil): Don’t expect increases soon — Netflix is still aggressively growing subscribers in these regions, and a price hike risks churn in price-sensitive markets
If you’re outside the US, you’re safe — for now. But Netflix has shown it will get to every market eventually. The question is when, not if.
How Does Netflix Compare in the US?
At $19.99/month, Netflix Standard now costs more than every major competitor’s ad-free plan except Prime Video (which bundles shipping, music, and more).
For a detailed breakdown of how Netflix stacks up against Disney+, Max, Hulu, and Prime Video — including features, 4K availability, and which service is best for your household — see our full comparison:
Netflix Price Increase 2026: New Prices, Alternatives, and How to Save →
Or compare all streaming services side by side:
Compare Streaming Service Prices →All global pricing data sourced from the PriceWorld Netflix Index. Affordability calculated using the PriceWorld Affordability Ratio (PAR), based on median net monthly income data from ILOSTAT. Explore the full comparison at priceworld.com/indexes/netflix.