The Burrow
Oct 4, 2024
Gaming has fast become one of the biggest markets in the entertainment industry, with the market valued at a staggering US$282 billion. And, with this set to increase to a predicted US$363 billion by 2027, it’s showing no signs of slowing down.1
However, with energy prices rising across the world, it’s making gaming a more expensive hobby – after all, it’s not just Wi-Fi and a computer or console you’ll need to pay for – it’s the electricity costs related to charging or running your console and internet modem too, as well as any subscriptions.
So, if the perfect evening or weekend to you looks like getting lost in a good game, then you’ll want to read on. As energy comparison experts, we’ve analysed factors such as Wi-Fi router and broadband costs, as well as the membership for a PlayStation Plus, to uncover the cheapest (and most expensive) countries in the world for gaming.
So, read on to see what we discovered!
From South America, through to Europe and Asia, get ready to discover the best countries to be a gamer in.
With total monthly running costs of just AU$13.07/US$8.71, Argentina is officially the cheapest place to be a gamer.
It ties with Mexico for the joint cheapest monthly running costs of LED bulbs, Wi-Fi routers, and TVs, at AU$0.20/US$0.13, AU$0.35/US$0.23 and AU$0.36/US$0.24; as well as the second cheapest running costs of a PS5 (AU$0.66/US$0.44).
Where Argentina fared particularly well and Mexico didn’t, was that it also has the cheapest monthly broadband costs, at just AU$7.76/US$5.17. Mexico, on the other hand, averages at AU$48.53/US$32.35, placing it in 11th overall. Both Argentina and Mexico have an annual PlayStation Plus Membership fee of AU$45/US$30, which was divided into a monthly fee and added to the other monthly costs to get the total monthly running cost.
Türkiye is the second cheapest place for gamers, with monthly costs of just AU$20.62/US$13.75. There’s nowhere else offering cheaper PlayStation Plus membership fees, at a total of AU$26/US$17 a year; and it also has the joint second cheapest monthly costs of LED bulbs (AU$0.26/US$0.17), Wi-Fi routers (AU$0.47/US$0.31), and TVs (AU$0.48/US$0.32).
And, as if that wasn’t enough, Türkiye also boasts the fourth cheapest monthly broadband (AU$16.43/US$10.95) and PS5 costs (AU$0.87/US$0.58).
India’s total average monthly running costs for gaming is AU$21.17/US$14.11, placing it in a very respectable third place.
Not only does the country boast the third cheapest monthly broadband costs, at AU$14.60/US$9.73, but it has the fourth cheapest PlayStation Plus membership cost, at AU$47/US$31. It also has the fifth lowest LED bulb monthly costs (AU$0.33/US$0.22) and Wi-Fi routers (AU$0.60/US$0.40); and ties in fourth with Norway for monthly TV costs.
Romania makes it into fourth place, with total monthly running costs of AU$23.10/US$15.40. Its broadband costs are the second lowest on our list, at just AU$12.90/US$8.60 a month; which gives it a low position overall, despite other monthly running costs like LED bulbs and TVs being slightly higher than the rest of our top five.
Poland rounds off our top five cheapest countries for gamers, with monthly running costs totalling AU$34.62/US$23.08.
It ties with Türkiye for the joint second cheapest LED and Wi-Fi router running costs; as well as having the third cheapest PS5 monthly cost (AU$0.86/US$0.57), and the seventh cheapest monthly broadband fee (AU$26.57/US$17.71).
Slovakia, Czechia, Brazil, Hungary, and South Korea make up the top 10 cheapest countries for broadband, but it’s Mexico that has the cheapest monthly PS5 cost, at AU$0.65/US$0.43.
On the other end of the spectrum, it’s bad news if you’re a gamer in these countries, with costs by far the highest.
With total monthly running costs of AU$216.24/US$144.16, the UAE is officially the most expensive country for gamers, and this is largely contributed to the fact it has the highest monthly broadband costs, at a staggering AU$213.98/US$142.65.
When it comes to other factors, the monthly cost of a PS5 is AU$0.95/US$0.63, and TV costs of AU$0.53/US$0.35.
Norway comes in second place, with monthly running costs totalling AU$129/US$86. Much like the UAE, this is down to its broadband costs, at AU$120.27/US$80.18 which is nearly half than that of the UAE’s.
Despite this, Norway ranks quite cheaply for Wi-Fi routers and LED bulbs, but it’s not enough to stop it from scoring so highly overall.
In third place is Switzerland, with gamers typically shelling out AU$116.75/US$77.83 a month. Not only does Switzerland have the third most expensive broadband costs, at AU$102.57/US$68.38 a month; but it also scored the third highest for PS5, LED, Wi-Fi router, and TV running costs.
Pair this with the fact it also has the most expensive PlayStation Plus membership card (AU$87/US$58), and it’s easy to see why Switzerland ranks so highly.
The USA is officially the fourth most expensive country for gamers, with monthly running costs of AU$106.85/US$71.23.
It has the fourth most expensive broadband costs, at AU$97.50/US$65.00; although other factors including the monthly costs of a Wi-Fi router and LED bulb are middling.
Rounding off our fifth most expensive country in the world for gamers is Canada, with monthly running costs totalling AU$96.04/US$64.02.
At AU$87.39/US$58.26, it has the fifth most expensive monthly broadband cost, although its PlayStation Plus membership costs are relatively cheap, at AU$60/US$40.
Australia, South Africa, Ireland, the UK, and Germany make up our top 10 most expensive countries for gamers. Germany and the UK are the first and second most expensive for PS5 monthly costs (AU$3.98/US$2.65 and AU$3.09/US$2.06), LED bulbs (AU$1.19/US$0.79 and AU$0.92/US$0.61), Wi-Fi routers (AU$2.12/US$1.41 and AU$1.65/US$1.10), and TV costs (AU$2.21/US$1.47 and AU$1.73/US$1.15).
Whilst Switzerland took the crown for the most expensive PlayStation Plus membership cost, 11 countries tied in second place, with annual fees of AU$81/US$54, including Germany, Italy, Sweden, Greece, and Finland.
If you’re looking to cut the cost of your energy bills, these are just a few tips you can follow, that require minimal effort.
One of the easiest ways to take control of your spending on energy bills is to understand how much you’re currently using. Smart meters can help you to do just that, to reveal any patterns and changes in behaviour; and there are also apps available to help you with this.
You can also use smart plugs that measure your energy usage for devices plugged into them. Some even allow you to remotely turn off the power at the wall to reduce electricity usage.
Turning the lights off when you leave a room, or cutting your morning shower down by five minutes may not seem important in the grand scheme of things, but they all help over time. So, swap one bath a week for a shower, turn your TV off instead of leaving it on standby, and only run your dishwasher when it’s full, and you’ll soon see the savings roll in.
Meredith O’Brien, Compare the Market’s Head of Energy, notes that being a gamer costs money, but you may be able to take action with your energy bills at least.
“Gaming is a hobby where you’re constantly pushed to spend money. Besides buying the games you want (and any Downloadable Content or Season Passes/Battle Passes and other microtransactions) or paying for a subscription like PlayStation Plus or Xbox Game Pass, there’s also broadband and Wi-Fi costs,” says O’Brien.
“When it comes to electricity costs, however, you can do something to help lower it. Besides being more energy conscious and reducing your power usage, you may be able to compare electricity plans in your area and switch to a better deal.
“Different regions across the world have different rules and regulations, but some places will have a competitive energy market where multiple providers and plans are out there, and you can potentially save money on electricity to put towards that next AAA release or Indie game you’ve got your eye on.”
Sources:
Methodology:
This dataset ranks 30 countries, based on how expensive gaming costs are. To do this, 6 different factors were used. Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then summed, to give a total monthly cost for each country. The countries were then ranked from lowest to highest, based on their total monthly costs.
The factors used are as follows:
The factors were indexed as follows:
All data is correct as of 12/09/24. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regards to the sources provided. Exchange rate used: 1 US$ – 1.50 AU$
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