All around the world women of all nations and ethnicities use some sort of healthcare product and/or beauty treatments. Whether it’s treating yourself to a haircut or simply having access to contraception, it costs to be a woman.
A new study has revealed where in the world women are spending the most on all things from sanitary products to pedicures. The biggest cost difference for a beauty treatment was around £80. In the UAE a haircut will set you back around £88 whereas in the Philippines it will cost a meager £8.00.
While many people think that contraception is a given right, that is clearly not the case in some countries and while many of the countries the research looked at offered contraception for free, 41 per cent are still charging women up to £23.10 a month for the pills.
Graph above shows the highest and lowest cost locations for being a woman around the world
While most places offer the contraceptive pill for free, in Russia it would set you back around £23.10
The research was carried out by electrical health and beauty manufacturer, Currentbody.
The manufacturer profiled 22 countries for the study in order to ensure it covered as many different cultures as possible.
The research covered the main cities of each country and found that the difference in price between countries in western Europe such as London compared to Paris were minimal , which is why many European countries were subsequently not included in the data set.
Research by Currentbody detailed the different price extremities for health and beauty treatments across the world
Russia charges the most when it comes to the cost of the contraceptive pill, billing women around £23.10, while countries such as Argentina, Canada, China, Croatia, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia and the UK don’t charge anything for the medication.
Other countries that charge for the contraceptive pill are places such as Japan which charges around £17.25, Finland – £11.86, Australia – £11.40, Ireland – £9.45, Norway – £6.13, UAE – £5.88, Columbia – £4.94 and Malaysia £4.75.
While most people take access to medication such as the contraceptive pill for granted, most women would also see access to sanitary products as a basic human right, and many campaigns have been launched in recent months in order to help women who can’t afford to pay for the products gain access to them.
Sanitary health products were the most expensive in Japan, with the average pack coming in at £10.88, this is while the cheapest place was India, where a pack would cost around £3.50
Campaigns such as Bloody Good Period and The Homeless Period have helped raise awareness of the issue, but it still seems that women in many countries are being charged over the odds for sanitary products.
If you’re a woman in Japan then it comes at a high cost, sanitary products there cost up to £10.88, making it the most expensive country to have a period.
The cheapest country however is India, where a standard pack of sanitary products would cost around £3.50.
The most expensive country for facial cleansing wipes was Finland, which charges around £7.12 for a pack, while in Indonesia you can get the same thing for 72p
Other countries raking in the cash when it comes to sanitary products include China, where it would cost around £10.45 for sanitary products as well as UAE – £9.44 Indonesia – £9.01. On average, having a period in the UK would cost women around £6.34.
When thinking about beauty regimes and the steps women take to look after themselves each day, facial cleansing is near the top of the list.
Many women use facial washes, cleansers or toners and recently products such as micellar water and various brands and types of facial cleansing wipes have grown in popularity.
In Finland it would set you back around £73.65 for a leg wax, while in India it would cost just £3.49
However, if you’re thinking about using facial wipes in Finland, it could set you back around £7.12 for a pack, whereas in Indonesia you could get a similar product for a fraction of the price at just 72p.
In the UK the average cost for facial wipes is around £2.90. Countries boasting cheaper prices for the beauty regime staple are Croatia – £1.08 and India at just £1.23 per pack.
Despite perhaps being one of the more painful beauty treatments that women subject themselves to, leg waxing is another luxury that could also set you back a pretty penny depending on the country you are in.
A manicure in Norway would set you back around £46.04, while in the Philippines would cost just £1.92
Finland is the most expensive place to have the procedure, which would cost on average around £73.65, while in India the same thing would cost just £3.49.
A leg wax in a salon in the UK would cost around £31.00, less than half of that of Finland. Other pricey places include Australia, where it would cost around £54.95, Japan – £72.93 and Norway at £60.40. However, residents of the Dominican Republic seem to be getting a good deal as a leg wax there would cost just £5.73.
Manicure’s and nail maintenance have become extremely popular across the world, while pharmacies are full of different nail care brands, salons across the world offer extraordinary nail art.
The most expensive place to get a haircut is the UAE where it could cost up to £88.41
The most expensive place to get a manicure is Norway where it would set you back around £46.04, while in the Philippines it would cost just £1.92. In the UK it costs on average £17 for a manicure, whereas the same procedure in New Zealand would cost around £21.84.
As places such as the UAE begin to attract more and more expats from around the world, it’s no wonder that the prices in the Gulf have begun to creep up. If you want to get a hair cut in the UAE it would cost around £88.41, while in the Philippines it would cost less than 10 per cent of that at £8.40.
In the UK a haircut for a woman would cost around £56.00, this is while in the US it would cost around £57.75.