Skip to main content

How much food can you buy for $5 around the world?

8,320,661 Views

5,783 Questions Answered

Best of Web

Let’s Begin…

Cost of living differs from country to country. One way to see this is in the cost of basic food staples. This video by BuzzFeed shows what some foods cost around the world.

Additional Resources for you to Explore

It is important to understand what the average worker in each country would make in dollars each year. Per Capita Gross National Income or GNI is a fancy way of saying average income. The United Nations data on these statistics is well regarded.

Here is a link to per capita GNI statistics from the United Nations using the Atlas method.
Here is a link to per capita GNI statistics from the United Nations using the PPP method.

Take a look at the data for Afghanistan in 2012. According to the video, $5 buys twice the amount of rice in Afghanistan as in the United States. But what percentage of relative income is that $5 in both countries?

The United Nations classifies countries according to how developed they are. The classification is based on a number of factors including the strength of the economy, the level of industrialization, standard of living and level of technology. Countries are then compared to each other and placed in a category.

Developed Nations

Developing Nations

Least Developed Nations


Next Section »

About TED-Ed Best of Web

TED-Ed Best of Web are exceptional, user-created lessons that are carefully selected by volunteer teachers and TED-Ed staff.

Meet The Creators