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Beer, the oldest known recipe in history, is a global obsession, but trends in consumption and cost vary a lot from country to country.
To find out just how much costs vary, Expensivity.com conducted comprehensive research to reveal the cheapest and most expensive cities around the world to buy a beer in, both from the supermarket and
at the bar.
But the Expensivity.com team didn’t stop there. They also calculated beer consumption habits around the world based on WHO data, revealing which cities drink and spend the most.
Data in hand, the team visualized their findings in a series of maps. Here’s a preview:
Key Findings:
● Qatar has the most expensive beer in the world, with an average price of US$11.26 per 33cl
(330ml) bottle.
● The cheapest beer is in South Africa, where the average price is $1.68 per bottle.
● The Czech Republic has the highest consumption rate, with 468 beers per person per year.
● Germans spend an average $1,907.78 per year on beer, the top figure in the study.
Qatar Wins World Cup for Expensive Beer
A beer in Qatar is expensive. The mostly Muslim country introduced a 100% tax on alcohol imports ahead of the 2022 World Cup, and visitors need a special permit to drink alcohol. China looks pretty expensive too, but consider that we averaged the price of a hotel beer ($13.61) and a supermarket beer ($1.81). It’s clear the steep prices are aimed at visitors. Beer is cheapest in South Africa, where a culture of buying in bulk tends to keep prices down.
The International Beer Index in Full
The ten countries with the highest average annual beer bill each have beer that costs upwards of four bucks. However, second-placed Poland is notable for its 62¢ carry-out beer, suggesting that much of Poland’s $1,738 average beer bill is built up by hotel-faring bachelor parties.
Bosnia is an outlier among the big drinkers: the country is in eighth place for beer consumption by bottle (331/year) but 30th for overall spend ($647.21), thanks to an average price that comes in under two bucks.
Germany Spends the Most On Beer
Haitians just aren’t that into beer. Spirits account for a whopping 97% of booze consumed in Haiti, where people drink fewer than four beers per year on average, with an annual beer bill of $10.02. That’s the lowest beer consumption and spend in the study.
At the other end of the scale, Germans spend just shy of $2k/year on beer. We found 15 countries with more expensive beer than Germany, but the nation sinks 411 bottles per person annually, so it pays the most in total. Germany is known for its beer culture and a stringent (delicious) beer purity law that has stood for over 500 years.
Czechia and Spain Lead Drinking Contest
So, who’s drinking all the beer? The Czech Republic takes the title, with 468 beers per person per year. However, capital Prague is the fourth most-visited city in Europe and infamous for its bachelor parties (for now at least). Like sunny Spain, in second place, Czechia’s beer consumption may be significantly swelled by visiting merry-makers.
Haiti drinks the least beer, counted per bottle or per spend. Most of the countries with a low beer intake can credit their predominantly Muslim populations for the abstinence. Armenia is an exception. The west Asian country drinks just 40 beers per person annually, mostly favoring brandy, vodka, and wine.
Armenians might not drink much beer, but the beer they drink is delicious, cheap, and finely crafted. Wherever you’re drinking in the world, be sure to check out the tradition behind your beer, as well as the cost – nothing adds value to your experience like a beer with a story!
The study results are provided by Expensivity.com, where you can view the full study.
About Expensivity.com
Expensivity.com presents the critical information readers need to master money, rather than letting it master them. The Expensivity.com team recognize just how expensive money is, and so a dominant theme in guiding their readers is the wise and careful management of money.
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