Big Mac, iPhone and Latte: The Fun Indexes That Compare Prices
The idea behind the Big Mac Index was so catchy that others copied it with different products. Each turns one everyday item into a global price comparison.
The Big Mac Index
The Economist’s original: a burger is roughly identical everywhere, so comparing its price reveals whether currencies are over- or under-valued. It’s our inspiration for Burgernomics.
The iPhone Index
An iPhone is a globally traded, identical gadget — but its price varies a lot by country thanks to taxes, tariffs and import costs. It highlights how much of a price is government policy rather than the product itself.
The latte / Starbucks Index
A tall latte, compared city to city, blends local rent, wages and coffee costs — a tasty proxy for the general cost of living in urban centres.
Why these work
A single familiar product cuts through abstract statistics — everyone understands “a burger costs twice as much there.” It’s the intuition behind purchasing power parity. Want the full basket, not just one item? Compare any two countries in our Burgernomics tool.
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