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Beer Index

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Beer Index – A bit different from ‘Beer Of The Month!’

Everyone’s heard of the ‘Big Mac Index’ – where the affordability of a country is expressed as the price of a Big Mac.  It’s irrelevant to me, I don’t like Big Macs.  I’d rather eat a large pie filled with warthog (which I’ve done in South Africa!).

However, I’d rather use a more useful index, such as my own ‘Beer Index‘ – something that most people can understand.   Unfortunately, beer does not come in a ‘standard global size’, so some calculations are required to obtain an accurate unit price.

However, just for you, I’ve been a big nerd and have worked out the price of beer per litre, in Australian dollars.  Here is the first Beer Index I created (prices were correct at the time when I tried them), and does not represent the entire suite of beers that I’ve sampled throughout my travels – I’ll add more to the list when I travel to a new place!

You can fine more Beer related articles below:

RankingCountryBeerVolumeLocal CurrencyAustralian CurrencyPrice per litre ($AUD)
1stArgentinaQuilmes970 ml1.2 Pesos Argentinos$0.60$0.62
2ndKazakhstanTyan Shan1000 ml100 Tenge$0.90$0.90
3rdZimbabweZambezi Lager375 ml300 Zimbabwe Dollars$0.50$1.33
4thBoliviaPacena375 ml3 Bolivianos$0.60$1.60
5thPhilippinesSan Miguel375mlPhilippine Pesos$0.66$1.75
6th UruguayFNC Pilsen375 mlPesos Uruguayos$0.70$1.87
7th IndonesiaBin Tang375 ml6000 Rupiah$0.76$2.03
8th NamibiaWindhoek375 ml6 Namibian Dollars$0.80$2.13
9thSouth AfricaCastle Lager375 ml6 Rand$0.80$2.13
10thSwazilandAmstel375 ml6 Lilangeni$0.80$2.13
11thPortugalSuper Bock Green375 ml0.5 Euros$0.80$2.13
12thTurkeyEfes Pilsen600 ml1.5 Million Turkish Lira$1.50$2.50
13thChileCristal375 ml430 Pesos Chilenos$1.00$2.66
14thPeruCusqena375 ml5 Nuevo Soles$1.23$3.28
15thBrazilSkol375ml2 Reais$1.31$3.49
16thKenyaTusker375 ml100 Kenyan Shillings$1.67$4.44
17thMalawiKuche Kuche375 ml200 Malawi Kwacha$1.79$4.76
18thZambiaMosi Lager375 ml8000 Zambian Kwacha$1.91$5.10
19thTanzaniaKilimanjaro Lager375 ml2000 Tanzanian Shillings$1.93$5.14
20thMoroccoStork375 ml12 Dirham$2.00$5.33
21stEgyptStella Local375 ml8 Egyptian Pounds$2.00$5.33
22ndBotswanaBlack Label Lager375 ml6 Pula$3.00$8.00
23rdNew ZealandSpeights375 ml4 New Zeland Dollars$3.08$8.21
24thAustriaGosser375ml2 Euros$3.20$8.53
25thAustraliaJames Boags Draught580 ml5 Australian Dollars$5.50$9.48
26thUnited StatesVarious Micro Brews600 ml6 US Dollars$6.60$11.00
27thKosovoRakija750 ml6 German Deuchmarks$5.00$13.33
28thIrelandGuinness570 ml4.5 Euros$9.00$15.78
29thScotlandLots of them570 ml3 Scottish Pounds$9.00$15.78
30thNorthern IrelandCaffreys570 mlNorthern Irish Pounds$9.00$15.78
31stWalesLots of them570 ml3 Pounds$9.00$15.78
32ndEnglandLots of them570 ml3 Pounds$9.00$15.78
Ineligible*SpainEstrella375 mlIneligibleIneligibleIneligible
Ineligible*ItalyPeroni375 mlIneligibleIneligibleIneligible
Ineligible*SwitzerlandLots of them500 mlIneligibleIneligibleIneligible

* These entries were deemed ineligible because relatives or friends were constantly shouting beers.

Beer Index Prices - Like Big Mac Index For Beer Of The Month

I haven’t included any Home Brew Beer on here (here’s a book on how to make beer!) – but if I’m in your country and taste it, I’ll include it!

Apparently, if you’re saving up for that trip overseas and want to develop your own Beer Index, this guy has developed a guide to Making Money While Drinking Beer!

And here is my beer label collection.  This is not an accurate sample of the beers that I’ve road tested (some of these beers I had to sample on numerous occasions to make sure they were good).  If I find some more, I’ll add them!

If you’re planning a trip soon, check out my best travel insurance tips, and get a quote on some Backpacker Travel Insurance.


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15 thoughts on “Beer Index”

  1. Avatar Of International Health Insurance
    International Health Insurance

    Nice list there, but where is Germany!? Come on man, nothing beats a nice room temperature Hefewiezen. Cheers! Carly S.

    1. Avatar Of Anthony

      Ha ha, but I haven’t been to Germany yet! I love their beer, but only the countries I’ve been to make the Beer index!

  2. Avatar Of Auto Insurance Quotes
    auto insurance quotes

    I hate to see that we have the most expensive beer in Britain. Thanks to our government increasing taxes on them whenever they get a chance with silly excuses. Nevertheless I think we make the best beers in the world.

  3. Avatar Of Nick

    I completely agree with the Beer Index. However, wouldn’t you have to base it on
    each country’s domestic brew that most people drink? For example, for the US you
    samples microbrews. However, they are much more expensive and most Americans don’t drink them on a regular basis. Also, imports are more expensive in most countries. So, using these as the sample would make the cost of living seem higher than it might be. Unless, of course, you only sample the premium beers of countries.

  4. Avatar Of Taylor

    One that needs to be tried: Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Only in Granada. They make it in the city and it’s icy cold. Maybe it’s just because it was the first legal booze I ever bought, but it holds a very special place in my heart.

  5. Avatar Of Incacola

    Agree with the point about microbrews above – and in Peru I notice you’ve picked Cuzqueña as the sample beer. It’s arguably Peru’s best (although I prefer Arequipeña myself) but it’s also usually the most expensive. In Lima you’ll get a 650ml bottle of Cristal or Pilsen for 5 soles, moving Peru up into the top 10 if my maths is right…

  6. Avatar Of Kings Bathroom
    Kings Bathroom

    Surprised Germany is still not on the list, their hefeweizen goes down well, although i prefer mine cold, like my guinness.

  7. Avatar Of Shane Todd

    Awesome comparison, suprised Belgium didn’t get a mention. Grimbergen is awesome!!! To be fair any Belgian beer that’s not Stella Artois is sensational!!

  8. Avatar Of Go Andes

    It’s great to see a lot of these beers starting to make their way onto UK supermarket shelves. Cuzqueña is the biggest beer export from Peru (and thankfully – it’s all exported and not brewed “under license” anywhere else), but many of these are still not available. I certainly can’t say I’ve had a beer from Bolivia or Kazakhstan, but I’m sure they are much more tasty than a lot of the watered down “under license” products.

  9. Avatar Of Ray

    This is awesome! I don’t think I have ever seen a travel blog where there was a separate Beer index before!

  10. Avatar Of Jov

    They say Belgium is the best for their beer.
    I’m a young woman and I only drink cider, wine or cocktails but appairantly a lot of tourists say it is the best. And many locals that take a vacation to the U.K. or the U.S. they say the beer is like pee or something, a musky vinegar…. I don’t have an opinion, just sharing what I’ve heard. A beer is priced from 1€99 (Kriek (cherry-flavored, Jupiler, etc.) – 2€50 (common, Stella Artois, Trappist, etc.) – 3€99 (dark, heavy, munk-brewed, Orval, etc.).

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