HN Pizza Index: Cost of living by city

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6503794

20 67 13 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

A recent thread comparing cost of living in different countries ended up using pizza as a common metric. As we have an very international, dare I say cosmopolitan, crowd here can people please let me know the price of the largest plain cheese / tomato pizza available in your nearest large city, in local currency and USD.

if we get enough responses I will compile a graph and let the UN know.

lifeisstillgood• 13 years ago

London-UK: 12.99 GBP - 21.50 USD (Dominos)

mdpye• 13 years ago

Though it should be noted that the best pizza in London comes from Franco Mancas in the south and west and costs more like £7 or $11.20. Or Due Sardi in the east, margarita being £6.45 or $10.40.

Dominoes is horrible.

Edit: Neither do variable sizes, both are for a ~12 inch. I have no idea what size a Dominoes "large" is, but I can imagine it's terrifying...

justincormack• 13 years ago

Or pizza pilgrims in Soho, and there are a few other places. Anywhere but dominoes.

anwaar• 13 years ago

Hyderabad-India : RS 250 - 4.07 USD

pant• 13 years ago

Athens-GR: 16 EURO ≈ 21.50 USD (Dominos)

SuperChihuahua2• 13 years ago

I believe it's a matter of definition (no Dominos), but here are the points from Sweden (Stockholm):

My local pizzeria: 60 SEK - 9.34 USD

Pizza Hut (Large): 209 SEK - 32.52 USD

WilliamSt• 13 years ago

I live in the same city but I can't find a pizza near me that's cheaper than ~90 SEK - 14.01 USD

SuperChihuahua2• 13 years ago

Patricia (not the boat) - Östgötagatan - Södermalm - 60 SEK (to go)!

braindead_in• 13 years ago

Bangalore-India: Rs 340 ~ 5.35 USD (Dominos)

peterjancelis• 13 years ago

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: ~5 USD home delivered

sgt• 13 years ago

Cape Town, South Africa: 55 rand, so 5.5 USD

ing33k• 13 years ago

Bangalore / India ≈ 6 USD

hamax• 13 years ago

Ljubljana-SI: 8 EUR ~ 11 USD

ProNoob13• 13 years ago

Groningen, The Netherlands: 5 euros (6 dollar 78).

duqueralho• 13 years ago

portugal

pizza hut -- supreme

BNY: Ind. € 9,90 $13.42 / Média € 17,05 $23.11 / Familiar € 23,40 $ 31,72 PAN: Ind. € 10,35 $14,03 / Média € 17,65 $23,93 / Familiar € 24,15 $ 32,74 / ROLLING: € 26,15 $35,45

kghose• 13 years ago

Just a comment here. I visit India at fairly large intervals. The prices of items there SHOCKED me! I guess if I was living there continuously I would be more used to things, so Rs 340 for a Pizza just floors me. I would have said - because its a 'novelty' food it would cost something like Rs 30, but I guess you can't even get a packet of biscuits (US: Cookies) for that.

dajohnson892• 13 years ago

Your comment would be much more insightful if you gave the dollar amounts, as well. Is the rupee closer to a peso or a pound?

TsiCClawOfLight• 13 years ago

it's 5.35 USD, 3.54 Pounds, or 72.4 pesos.

philrykoff• 13 years ago

340 rupees are about $6, that sounds reasonable to me. Where in the world do you live?

Btw, normal Margherita in Germany (Pizza Hut) 4,9 € / $7.64, large Margherita in Germany (Pizza Hut) 7,9 € / $10.71

DjangoReinhardt• 13 years ago

Well, there's also the fact that Indians associate a slightly different (slightly class-ist) experiential value with chain-outlet foods, for a variety of reasons.

While most fast food outlets in America are seen as quick and (relatively) inexpensive food sources, they have been identified as upper- to upper-middle class brands since they first arrived in India. (IIRC, that was mid- to late-90s.)

IMHO, when they arrived the prices quoted on their rate-cards seemed to be directly converted from their parent locations, e.g. the daily-special dollar-sub was priced at INR 50 (roughly equivalent to a dollar) and standard subs were about INR 110 - or about $2. The standard chicken burger was priced at INR 60-ish and a happy meal combo was approx. INR 150 (roughly USD 3-ish back then).

(There isn't an Indian equivalent for the Pizza, so I can't make an adequate comparison here. :( )

Compare this with the ubiquitous "Wada-Pav" - the Indian street-food that is considered to be the equivalent of the burger - which was priced at about INR 5 back then. The Indian equivalent of the sub, i.e. the street-sandwich, would cost about INR 10.

As a kid who grew up in a very middle-class family when I was attending graduate (that's undergrad for you Americans, BTW) college, my weekly allowance/lunch-money was INR 100. With that kind of money, visiting a McDonald's or a Subway was not something we could do on a lark, you see.

Thus, by association and by virtue of their exaggerated price-points, these fast-food chains automatically became elevated to 'elite' levels, i.e. if you could afford to spend ten times the money for something a normal man considered regular fast-food, you had better be earning ten times as much as the normal guy. (I remember feeling quite nervous and kinda intimidated when I walked into a McDonald's outlet for the first time! :D)

Things have changed since then, however.

Some time in the last decade, McDonalds' and KFC realized that with the kind of prices they started out with, they were missing out the largest chunk of their target Indian market - the college-kids. Ever since, they have initiated reduced price menus (smaller burgers for INR 20, daily specials, etc.) for them.

Just for reference, the "Wada-Pav" I spoke about earlier, costs about INR 10 these days while the smaller-burger costs about INR 25. The street-sandwiches are at least INR 25, while a daily-special dollar-sub is about INR 50-ish. Not to forget, the allowances kids get these days have increased significantly, too!

Of course, my perspective in this matter is quite restricted. Do take it with a pinch of salt, please. :)

hownowstephen• 13 years ago

Montreal, Canada - 12.61 USD (Dominos)

spechard• 13 years ago

Nantes-FR: 15.6 € ≈ 21 USD (local pizzeria)

jhaaps• 13 years ago

No Dominos here but here are the prices from Finland (Helsinki).

Local pizzeria: 7€ (~9.5 USD) Pizza Hut (Large): 25.8€ (~35 USD)

guard-of-terra• 13 years ago

Moscow, Allo Pizza chain, delivery: 395 roubles or around $12.

SomeRandomUser• 13 years ago

Argentina, Buenos Aires:

About 55 ARS delivered in the suburbs (Gran Buenos Aires) and 80 ARS in a middle range restaurant. That's about 9,50 USD and 13,7 USD respectively using official exchange rates and 5,75 USD and 8,35 USD using the blue market rates. We don't really have chain pizza restaurants with international presence.

Also, things tend to raise at about 20% per year, so take that into account.

This country is fun, crazy and cheap, come visit. :)

dysoco• 13 years ago

Cheap? That must be for food only :P

Pitarou• 13 years ago

Tokyo

¥2800 = $28.74 from Domino's

Japan's protectionist policies on farm products pushes up the price of all of pizza's ingredients. You'll get much better value for money with a gyuudon (rice topped with beef) set meal.

Udo• 13 years ago

Frankfurt, Germany: 7-9 € / $ 9-12 including delivery for medium sizes, Joey's Pizza chain or local restaurants

miroz• 13 years ago

Zagreb-HR: 35 HRK - 6.25 USD

e12e• 13 years ago

Local pizza ~130 NOK - 22 USD. Chain (Dolly Dimple's) 179 NOK / 30 USD)

Bergen, Norway

Not including delivery.

flexd• 13 years ago

I'll reply here since it's also Norway.

Oslo, Norway. (horrible) Local pizza around 100 NOK / 16.87 USD. Chain (Peppes Pizza) 170 NOK / 28.5 USD, 40 cm pizza

Delivery not included.

dajohnson892• 13 years ago

For your survey to be remotely useful, you have to pin down the requirements better.

Major pizza chain or gourmet pub?

You say "largest" pizza, but why not just specify large? Some places have enormous sized pizzas (well above 20 inches) others don't go above 18 inches.

pstadler2• 13 years ago

That's the very reason this will lead to nowhere...

A good (e.g. not the crap from Domino's which is overpriced in CH anyway) italian Pizza Margherita made in a wood oven with a size of around 33cm costs CHF 17 (~$19) in Zurich.

It's the wood that makes it good.

kittxkat• 13 years ago

Not quite. I live in Zurich Downtown, and you won't even find a Pizza Margarita for that price (17CHF). Its more like 22CHF (= $25) minimum. I've also lived in more rural areas in Switzerland before, and in those places 17CHF might be correct, but not for Zurich.

imwhimsical• 13 years ago

Dubai, UAE: $10-15 including delivery, from Pizza Hut

girishkolari• 13 years ago

Dubai : AED 45 ~ 12.5 USD (Dominos)

smcl• 13 years ago

Brno, Czech Republic: 55cm\21in Margherita, 239 CZK ($12.65) - http://www.pizza-taxi.cz/jidelni-listek.html

kybernetyk• 13 years ago

Moenchengladbach, Germany, 7.50 Euro = $10.20 (for a 40cm diameter cheese/tomato pizza)

But you usually go for a medium sized pizza for ~4.5 Euro = $6.10

saejox2• 13 years ago

Istanbul (dominos): 23TL $13.5

Although there is a 2-for-1 promotion, which is always available. (extra 5tl for second one), then it would cost 14TL $7.

ref: http://www.dominos.com.tr

batuhanicoz2• 13 years ago

According to a quick calculation I made, in Istanbul (or anywhere in Turkey really), Classic Large Pizza is 6.22USD.

One pizza is 19.90TL, which is 9.94USD with current currency. But with 2-for-1 promotion, like you said it's +5TL, it's 24.90TL total, 12.45TL each, which makes 6.22USD.

I've checked both Dominos's website and Yemeksepeti's (the largest online food ordering website here) website.

(I was logged-in to both, I don't think so but, maybe there is a discount?)

saejox2• 13 years ago

Question asked for cheese/tomato pizza. I have added tomato to the ingredients of the classic one.

8ig8• 13 years ago

Big Mac Index for comparison:

http://www.economist.com/content/big-mac-index

(May have been mentioned in the thread noted by OP, but I cannot find the thread at the moment. Link anyone?)

pieterhg• 13 years ago

Bangkok, Thailand: 329 THB / $10

But this is relatively expensive for Thailand, since pizza is considered a luxury food here :)

mbenjaminsmith• 13 years ago

Around 300 baht for a meal (presumably for two or more people) is hardly out of reach for anybody but the poorest in Bangkok.

I don't think anyone would call it a luxury food either. If you're (poor and) going to splurge on something you're not going to sit down at a pizza chain.

A related complaint: As flexible as this city's restaurant culture is, it's impossible to get a good pizza at any price.

recuter• 13 years ago

Tel Aviv, Israel

₪39 = $10.99 from Domino's

But to be fair, its terrible pizza.

Jacqued• 13 years ago

Paris, FR

Local good pizza : 12€ - $16

Dominos : 15.90€ - $21.50

diffuzed• 13 years ago

Paris, France: 8-10€ (11-14$) take away.

rdl• 13 years ago

Oakland, CA, USA: $18.75 for cheese pizza 18". USD 18.75 (http://www.amazonaspizza.com/)

natejenkins• 13 years ago

I'm not sure pizza is the greatest choice of measurement. In most European countries, there is no such thing as a large or small pizza, there is simply pizza, and it is intended for one person. The crust is very thin compared to American pizza and the toppings are quite sparse. In my current city (Geneva) a cheese pizza would cost around $20 and would feed one adult.

snogglethorpe• 13 years ago

It's an entirely awful measure, for exactly that reason: what pizza "means" is (as for many things) very dependent on culture.

In the U.S. it's often considered a cheapo mass food for students, but in other countries it can be something of a luxury, exotic and foreign; if the only place to get pizza targets wealthy expats and the spoiled offspring of the rich who want to seem "western," it's not going to be particularly cheap... [and many countries are of course somewhere in the middle]

That doesn't mean the cost of living is actually higher in the latter places, because there are very likely to be far cheaper indigenous foods that occupy roughly the same "position" pizza occupies in the U.S.

The price of something, after all is not just the cost of the ingredients and the labor used to make it, it's determined by what people are willing to pay, and people will often pay for very ephemeral qualities...

jzwinck• 13 years ago

Singapore: 16-22 SGD, 13-18 USD (tax is always included).

That's for a 12" thin-crust pizza--the sort of thing a moderately hungry person would eat alone.

The pizza is not bad, but don't bother with pepperoni (it isn't spicy, in a land where tons of things are spicy). Casual local meals are about one-quarter of those prices. And many Asian people are not really into cheese, so there's limited scope for a $1 slice place (probably the only place you can even order a single slice is at the airport).

ponyous• 13 years ago

Maribor, Slovenia - 6.5€ ~= 9 USD (Local pizzeria)

davewasthere• 13 years ago

Now I just want pizza. :-(

diggan• 13 years ago

Sweden: 70-120 SEK ~ 10-18 USD

Spain: €4-€15 ~ 5-20 USD

caw• 13 years ago

Austin, TX. Dominos, et all are like $10 for a large.

The premium pizzas are $17.99+ for a large cheese.

Moto74512• 13 years ago

Los Angeles CA, USA

$5 USD out the door

zachlatta• 13 years ago

Where are you finding it for that much? I'm also in Los Angeles and a large pizza can run around $17, not including delivery.

Moto74512• 13 years ago

Little Caesars's pepperoni and cheese pizzas are $5 when you pick up. Tons of mom and pop places in North Hollywood and Hollywood (not the ones on the Blvd) will offer the same special. When I lived in Sherman Oaks, the local Guido's did the same.

Domino's and Pizza hut will offer the same deal from time to time but you have to get their promo emails.

dleskov• 13 years ago

Novosibirsk, Russia: about $19 for a 1kg (2.2lb) pizza. I prefer a different delivery, which charges $7.3 for a much smaller, 320g (0.7kb) pizza.

MrDresden• 13 years ago

Iceland; Dominos 1999 ISK / ~ 17 USD A much better local pizzeria 1800 ISK / ~15 USD

kvarksonS• 13 years ago

Kharkov, Ukraine: ~$8-$13 in all local pizza places.

ramenable• 13 years ago

There are too many parameters if you use Pizza. A better alternative is to use the Big Mac Index. It's published by the Economist for the same purpose.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index

pknerd• 13 years ago

Karachi - Pakistan. ~PKR. 850 ~ USD 8.50.(Pizza Hut)

meerita• 13 years ago

Barcelona you can eat a nice neapolitan pizza for 10 bucks, but you can eat a margarita (only cheese) for less than that, around 7-8.

pibi• 13 years ago

North Italy: a standard Margherita: 4,5€. And, you know, it is simply the best.

HN Pizza Index: Cost of living by city

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