Are you living in one of these most expensive countries to buy gas in the world? You don’t know? Well then, be sure to stay with us throughout the entire article to find out and to catch up with some interesting facts about these countries that don’t allow its citizens to drive around that cheap.
Why do gas prices vary that much from country to country? The important thing to notice here is that not only gas prices differentiate from country to country, but prices of everything. Maybe you are interested in checking out our article on most expensive countries to buy cigarettes in the world to see if there are any matches between these two lists. With so many countries in the world, there is an incredible economic diversity. Hence, prices of everything can differ in great amounts. Countries with the high standard of living are usually the ones with the highest prices of various things. We are sure that no one will be surprised to find out that countries like Norway and Netherlands have made it to this list. But there are probably a lot of people who will be confused not to see Switzerland here. Oh, well Switzerland almost made it; with the price of gas at $1.55 per liter it takes the 16th place among the most expensive countries to buy gas in the world. From this, it is obvious that prices of gas differ between countries at all levels of development. This happens because of various factors such as: taxes, whether or not a country has natural gas production and whether or not it offers subsidies for gasoline.
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Before we start with this list, we want to give you some more insights about the gas prices, so you can have the entire picture ahead of you and notice the real difference in prices. If we only state the 15 most expensive countries to buy gas without offering you information from the other side of the spectrum, you wouldn’t be able to do the comparison, and therefore comprehend how expensive these prices really are. And, prices of gas between these 15 countries don’t vary that much, since the lowest one is $1.56 per liter and the highest is $1.87 per liter. Hence the biggest difference in price here is only $0.37. You maybe think that this is a big difference, but when we tell you that the lowest price of gas in the world is $0.02 per liter, you will probably question that thought. Thus, expensive or cheap – it all comes down to with what do you compare – how big is the picture you are looking at.
Therefore, we have decided not only to provide you with information about the prices of gas in these most expensive countries to buy gas in the world, but also to provide you with information about the average salary of their citizens. Why? Because, what is expensive for somebody doesn’t necessarily mean it is expensive for everybody. Of course, countries on our list are ranked by the highest prices of gas in 2015, but more information about the average salaries will help us understand how expensive those prices are for the people most influenced by it – the people living there. We’ve gathered information about the prices of gas from Global Petrol Prices, and they are brand new – few days old. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find information about the average salaries for all the countries, since we’ve used a survey done by International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2009, that includes 72 countries. So, 3 countries on our list are not in ILO’s statistics, but still, we are sure that information about other 12 countries will be more than enough for you to get the bigger picture on the gas expenses. Prices of average salaries are in PPP dollars.
Let the countdown of most expensive countries to buy gas in the world begin!
15. Ireland
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.56
At this beautiful island, the average monthly salary is 2,997 PPP dollars. So, what do you think – how expensive is driving around for Irish people?
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14. Iceland
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.56
Living and working on this volcanic island, you can earn 2,431 PPP dollars a month on average. Do you think that with the salary that high you can afford to drive as much as you want?
13. Zimbabwe
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.57
The first country on this list for which we don’t have the information about the average month salaries in PPP dollars from the same study, (2009) is an African country – Zimbabwe. But, it is well known that people in Zimbabwe don’t earn much, and that they also have employment problems. What is even more interesting is that not only the price of gas is expensive here, but prices of everything. How did those prices get so high in such an underdeveloped country is a question that passes boundaries of this article. One thing is for sure – driving around in Zimbabwe is a luxury not everyone can afford.
12. Israel
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.60
An average month salary in Israel is 1,804 PPP dollars, which is making Israelis demonstrate against the price of gas being this high.
11. Greece
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.63
Thanks to Greece’s high gas taxes, the price of gas is very expensive considering their average month salary is 2,300 PPP dollars. Well, they are trying to deal with the economic crises. Maybe they should adopt some ideas from Netherlands’ and Denmark’s culture, and save a few bucks by taking a bicycle ride instead of a comfortable car ride.
10. Finland
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.64
Another Nordic country that probably no one is surprised to see on this list. With the average month salary of 2,925 PPP dollars, gas comes a little more affordable to Finns than to people living in some other countries on this list. And, when they buy gas, they know how to use it – very fast! Finns are known as the fastest drivers in the world.
9. Portugal
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.64
Even though Portugal has the same price of gas as Finland, it is quite more expensive for Portuguese to buy it, considering that their average month salary is 1,928 PPP dollars, which is almost 1,000 PPP dollars less.
8. Denmark
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.70
Even though the average salary in Denmark is higher than in the mentioned countries, and they can afford to have a little higher price of gas, Danes are more inclined towards driving a bicycle then moving around just by pressing a car accelerator pedal. With the average month salary of 3,826 PPP dollars Danes are known as the happiest people on the planet. Maybe it has nothing to do with the salaries and the high standard of living, maybe it got something to do with the lifestyle and the spirit. Think about it, they choose to drive a bicycle instead of a car.
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7. Djibouti
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.71
Another African country for which we don’t have information about the average month salary, but considering its poor economy, we are pretty sure that this price of gas, makes people walk much more than they would want.
6. Italy
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.72
A country known for pizzas, pasta, ice-cream, unbelievable museums and works of art is taking a 6th place among the most expensive countries to buy gas in the world. They love driving, and they can spend all of their month salary (2,445 PPP dollars) on gas. Italians are known as “crazy” drivers, whether they are driving cars or, the more popular, scooters. Oh, well they are known as people who really enjoy in life, they just grab everything life has to offer – food, driving, and art. Expensive gas or not, they’ll find the way to purchase it and fully use it.
5. The UK
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.73
While visiting the UK, think twice before you run out to rent a car. First, because it can be tough adapting to driving on the other side of the road, and the second thought should consider their price of gas.
You are going to drive by bus, right? Well, maybe Britons don’t think of it as too expensive with the average month salary of 3,605 PPP dollars.
4. Norway
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.77
You were probably wondering if Norway is in the first place among the most expensive countries to buy gas in the world, right? Well, it isn’t first, but proudly takes the fourth spot. Their citizens earn 3,678 PPP dollars a month on average, which allows them to buy the gas needed. Norway is world known as a country with a high standard of living, but not everyone knows that most of its wealth comes from natural resources, as the country is very rich in oil and natural gas.
3. Monaco
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.77
This is the third country for which we don’t have information about the monthly wage in PPP dollars, but knowing that they have tax free salaries, has made us think that they can afford a luxury of driving around. It’s good that it’s such a small country, you don’t need much gas to see it all!
2. Netherlands
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.80
Even though an average Dutch earns 3,922 PPP dollars, they prefer not to spend too much money on gas, when they can drive a bicycle. They have a very long history of riding bicycles; it has become an important part of their culture, which is great not only for their health but also for their pocket.
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1. Hong Kong
Price of gas per liter: $ 1.87
Finally, the most expensive country to buy gas in the world is Hong Kong. Many people are still unsure whether Hong Kong is a country or just a city in China, so we’ll try to explain its complicated status. Although it carries the flag of China, Hong Kong is quite independent. It is a special administrative region of China which really means it is a separate country with its own administration, passports, money, etc. An average Chinese in Hong Kong can earn 1,545 PPP dollars, which makes it quite obvious how expensive driving is in this city-country.
If you enjoyed reading this article, be sure to check 11 countries with the highest standard of living, too. And, tell us – did this article made you consider twice before visiting some country and renting a car, or before complaining on prices of gas in your country?
