South Africa is one of the most cost-effective countries in the world for Netflix, according to a recent study published by CompariTech.
Comparitech’s analysis looks at the prices of Netflix subscriptions across 39 countries, as well as the content library in each of these regions and the quality of the content available as determined by IMDb scores.
The data shows that Netflix customers in the United Kingdom enjoy the widest selection of content, with a total of 6,122 titles in their library.
Comparitech also found that there was a significant disparity in price-per-title across countries, with countries with cheaper subscription prices often being the most cost-effective for Netflix.
“Our study shows a massive disparity when the cost per title is analyzed between different countries,” it said.
“Due to the cheap price, Brazil, South Africa, and India are actually the most cost-effective countries to watch Netflix in.”
Cost-per-title compared
Cost-per-title was calculated for each region across the Basic, Standard, and Premium Netflix price plans, which are priced at the following monthly rates:
- Netflix Basic – R99
- Netflix Standard- R139
- Netflix Premium – R169
Based on these prices, Netflix Basic users in South Africa pay just less than R0.02 per title on the platform, making it the second-most cost-effective country for Netflix Basic in the world.
The country holds the same rank for Netflix Standard, with the cost per title coming in at under R0.03.
When it comes to Netflix Premium, South Africa is the most cost-effective country in the world with a cost per title of just over R0.03.
Countries which were the least cost-effective included Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, and Sweden.
“Despite its great user experience with prime streaming speeds, Switzerland is not going to be the place to opt for a Netflix subscription if you love a good deal,” Comparitech said.
“Bargain-lovers, however, may want to opt for a subscription in Brazil, India, or South Africa, but will have to sacrifice some quality and titles in order to get their cheaper pricing.”
Cost-per-title comparison
The table below shows the cost-per-title of each country across Netflix Basic, Standard, and Premium subscriptions.
Entries are sorted from cheapest to most expensive and prices are converted to US dollars to compare the cost-per-title figures.
| Netflix Basic | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Library Size | Cost per month | Cost per Title |
| Brazil | 4,286 | BRL 21.90 | $0.00093 |
| South Africa | 5,424 | ZAR 99 | $0.00106 |
| India | 5,497 | INR 499 | $0.00121 |
| Canada | 5,998 | CAD 9.99 | $0.00127 |
| Australia | 5,655 | AUD 9.99 | $0.00128 |
| United Kingdom | 6,122 | GBP 5.99 | $0.00129 |
| Mexico | 4,591 | MXN 139 | $0.00137 |
| Philippines | 5,507 | PHP 369 | $0.00138 |
| Malaysia | 5,679 | RM 35 | $0.00148 |
| Hungary | 5,725 | HUF 2,490 | $0.00148 |
| New Zealand | 5,321 | NZD 11.99 | $0.00149 |
| Japan | 5,042 | JPY 800 | $0.00150 |
| Indonesia | 5,255 | IDR 120,000 | $0.00154 |
| Ireland | 6,112 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00155 |
| Czech Republic | 5,824 | KC 199 | $0.00156 |
| Thailand | 5,569 | THB 279 | $0.00160 |
| Singapore | 5,436 | SGD 11.98 | $0.00161 |
| United States | 5,485 | USD 8.99 | $0.00164 |
| South Korea | 4,583 | KRW 9,500 | $0.00176 |
| Lithuania | 5,186 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00183 |
| Estonia | 5,160 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00184 |
| Russia | 5,125 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00185 |
| Latvia | 5,034 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00189 |
| Austria | 4,452 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00213 |
| France | 4,342 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00219 |
| Germany | 4,339 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00219 |
| Belgium | 4,200 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00226 |
| Italy | 4,134 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00230 |
| Poland | 3,883 | PLN 34 | $0.00236 |
| Spain | 3,974 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00239 |
| Netherlands | 3,951 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00240 |
| Romania | 3,813 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00249 |
| Greece | 3,760 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00253 |
| Finland | 3,674 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00259 |
| Portugal | 3,568 | EUR 7.99 | $0.00266 |
| Norway | 3,744 | NOK 89 | $0.00268 |
| Sweden | 3,797 | SEK 89 | $0.00270 |
| Switzerland | 4,326 | CHF 11.90 | $0.00302 |
| Denmark | 3,808 | DKK 79 | $0.00332 |
| Netflix Standard | |||
| Country | Library Size | Cost per month | Cost per Title |
| Brazil | 4,286 | BRL 32.90 | $0.00070 |
| South Africa | 5,424 | ZAR 139 | $0.00075 |
| India | 5,497 | INR 649 | $0.00079 |
| Philippines | 5,507 | PHP 459 | $0.00086 |
| Canada | 5,998 | CAD 13.99 | $0.00089 |
| Australia | 5,655 | AUD 13.99 | $0.00089 |
| Malaysia | 5,679 | RM 45 | $0.00095 |
| Hungary | 5,725 | HUF 3,190 | $0.00095 |
| Mexico | 4,591 | MXN 196 | $0.00097 |
| United Kingdom | 6,122 | GBP 8.99 | $0.00097 |
| Indonesia | 5,255 | IDR 153,000 | $0.00098 |
| Thailand | 5,569 | THB 349 | $0.00100 |
| Czech Republic | 5,824 | KC 259 | $0.00101 |
| New Zealand | 5,321 | NZD 16.99 | $0.00105 |
| Singapore | 5,436 | SGD 15.98 | $0.00108 |
| South Korea | 4,583 | KRW 12,000 | $0.00111 |
| Japan | 5,042 | JPY 1,200 | $0.00113 |
| Lithuania | 5,186 | EUR 9.99 | $0.00115 |
| Estonia | 5,160 | EUR 9.99 | $0.00115 |
| Russia | 5,125 | EUR 9.99 | $0.00116 |
| Ireland | 6,112 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00117 |
| Latvia | 5,034 | EUR 9.99 | $0.00118 |
| United States | 5,485 | USD 12.99 | $0.00118 |
| Poland | 3,883 | PLN 43 | $0.00149 |
| Romania | 3,813 | EUR 9.99 | $0.00156 |
| France | 4,342 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00164 |
| Norway | 3,744 | NOK 109 | $0.00164 |
| Germany | 4,339 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00164 |
| Netherlands | 3,951 | EUR 10.99 | $0.00165 |
| Sweden | 3,797 | SEK 109 | $0.00166 |
| Belgium | 4,200 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00170 |
| Italy | 4,134 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00172 |
| Austria | 4,452 | EUR 12.99 | $0.00174 |
| Greece | 3,760 | EUR 10.99 | $0.00174 |
| Spain | 3,974 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00179 |
| Portugal | 3,568 | EUR 10.99 | $0.00183 |
| Finland | 3,674 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00194 |
| Denmark | 3,808 | DKK 99 | $0.00208 |
| Switzerland | 4,326 | CHF 16.90 | $0.00214 |
| Netflix Premium | |||
| Country | Library Size | Cost per month | Cost per Title |
| South Africa | 5424 | ZAR 169 | $0.00045 |
| India | 5497 | INR 799 | $0.00049 |
| Brazil | 4286 | BRL 45.90 | $0.00049 |
| Philippines | 5507 | PHP 549 | $0.00051 |
| Canada | 5998 | CAD 16.99 | $0.00054 |
| Australia | 5655 | AUD 17.99 | $0.00058 |
| Malaysia | 5679 | RM 55 | $0.00058 |
| Hungary | 5725 | HUF 3,990 | $0.00059 |
| Indonesia | 5255 | IDR 186,000 | $0.00060 |
| Thailand | 5569 | THB 419 | $0.00060 |
| Czech Republic | 5824 | KC 319 | $0.00063 |
| United Kingdom | 6122 | GBP 11.99 | $0.00065 |
| Mexico | 4591 | MXN 266 | $0.00066 |
| South Korea | 4583 | KRW 14,500 | $0.00067 |
| Singapore | 5436 | SGD 19.98 | $0.00067 |
| New Zealand | 5321 | NZD 21.99 | $0.00068 |
| Lithuania | 5186 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00069 |
| Estonia | 5160 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00069 |
| Russia | 5125 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00070 |
| Latvia | 5034 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00071 |
| United States | 5485 | USD 15.99 | $0.00073 |
| Ireland | 6112 | EUR 15.99 | $0.00078 |
| Japan | 5042 | JPY 1,800 | $0.00084 |
| Poland | 3883 | PLN 52 | $0.00090 |
| Romania | 3813 | EUR 11.99 | $0.00093 |
| Netherlands | 3951 | EUR 13.99 | $0.00105 |
| France | 4342 | EUR 15.99 | $0.00110 |
| Germany | 4339 | EUR 15.99 | $0.00110 |
| Greece | 3760 | EUR 13.99 | $0.00111 |
| Belgium | 4200 | EUR 15.99 | $0.00113 |
| Italy | 4134 | EUR 15.99 | $0.00115 |
| Portugal | 3568 | EUR 13.99 | $0.00117 |
| Spain | 3974 | EUR 15.99 | $0.00120 |
| Norway | 3744 | NOK 159 | $0.00120 |
| Austria | 4452 | EUR 17.99 | $0.00120 |
| Sweden | 3797 | SEK 159 | $0.00121 |
| Finland | 3674 | EUR 15.99 | $0.00129 |
| Denmark | 3808 | DKK 129 | $0.00135 |
| Switzerland | 4326 | CHF 21.90 | $0.00139 |
Average IMDb ratings
The table shows the average IMDb rating for the content library of each country in the comparison.
| Country | Average IMDb Rating |
|---|---|
| Thailand | 6.81 |
| South Korea | 6.81 |
| India | 6.8 |
| Indonesia | 6.8 |
| Philippines | 6.8 |
| Russia | 6.79 |
| Singapore | 6.79 |
| Malaysia | 6.79 |
| Japan | 6.79 |
| Latvia | 6.78 |
| Lithuania | 6.78 |
| Portugal | 6.78 |
| Estonia | 6.77 |
| France | 6.77 |
| United Kingdom | 6.77 |
| Ireland | 6.77 |
| Spain | 6.77 |
| Belgium | 6.76 |
| Mexico | 6.76 |
| Brazil | 6.75 |
| Australia | 6.75 |
| Switzerland | 6.74 |
| Germany | 6.74 |
| Sweden | 6.74 |
| South Africa | 6.73 |
| Norway | 6.73 |
| Denmark | 6.73 |
| Poland | 6.73 |
| Finland | 6.73 |
| New Zealand | 6.72 |
| Italy | 6.72 |
| Romania | 6.72 |
| United States | 6.71 |
| Austria | 6.71 |
| Canada | 6.71 |
| Greece | 6.69 |
| Netherlands | 6.69 |
| Hungary | 6.55 |
| Czech Republic | 6.54 |