How much does Netflix cost per month?

At present, Netflix offers a basic plan (standard definition and one device), a standard plan (HD and 2 devices), and a premium plan (HD, ultra HD, and 4 devices). The prices of each of these vary from country to country:

Nevertheless, when Netflix first launched in these countries, many of these prices would have been considerably cheaper. So just how much has Netflix’s pricing changed over the years?

To figure this out, we took a look at the top 10 countries (which have been ranked by eMarketer as having the highest consumer penetration of Netflix). We worked out the current prices, when price increases came into play, and what the overall increase has been since launch.

Here’s what we found.

The biggest Netflix price increases

The biggest price increase over time has been in Canada, with a 75 percent price increase on the standard plan from when it was introduced to now. In just nine years, it has almost doubled in price from $5.92 per month to $10.37 per month. Its basic plan (which was first introduced around 2014) has increased by just over 25 percent while its premium plan (introduced in 2013) has increased by nearly 42 percent.

How does this compare to the US?

The US has also witnessed significant price increases across its standard plan (almost 63 percent from $7.99 in 2010 to $12.99 in 2019). The basic plan and premium plan (introduced at the same time as Canada) have increased by 12.52 and 33.36 percent, respectively.

The UK isn’t far behind, either. With its price increase in May 2019, the UK has seen its standard plan increase by over 50 percent from $7.55 in 2012 to $11.34 in 2019. The basic plan hasn’t increased, however, but the premium plan has increased by more than 33 percent since it was first released in 2013.

Why have these three countries seen the biggest price hikes?

As they have been around the longest, it was perhaps inevitable.

Equally, Europe does look set to follow. There are reports that Netflix is trialing new prices in certain European countries.

However, these rumored price increases are still undecided. Some countries are seeing the basic plan remaining at €7.99 per month, the standard plan increasing to €12.99 per month (from €10.99) and the premium plan increasing to €17.99 per month (from €13.99). Others are noting the basic plan at €8.99 per month, the standard plan at €12.99 per month, and the premium plan at €16.99 per month. Netflix evidently runs these trials to see how much customers are willing to pay for each plan. However, these price increases would mean a 63 percent rise in the standard plan price (since it was introduced), mirroring the similar increases in the US, UK, and Canada.

The biggest Netflix price increase between plans

Canada received the biggest price increase between plans in 2019 when its standard plan went from CAD 10.99 ($8.15) to CAD 13.99 ($10.37). This is an increase of over 27 percent.

The lowest Netflix price increases

The country with the lowest price increase on the standard plan is Australia, with just less than a 17 percent increase since it was first launched. However, Australia was late to get Netflix (it wasn’t launched until 2015), accounting for the lower increase over time.

The lowest overall price increase on premium plans (8.40 percent) is seen in Denmark (rising from $17.73 to $19.22 over 6 years). However, this is likely due to the fact that Denmark is still one of the most expensive places to have a Netflix subscription.

The cost of Netflix around the world

Of the top 10 countries we studied, the most expensive Netflix subscriptions are in Denmark where users pay $11.77, $14.75, and $19.22 for basic, standard, and premium plans, respectively. Norway isn’t much cheaper with costs of $10.16, $12.45, and $15.88.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sweden is another expensive place for Netflix subscriptions with basic, standard, and premium plans costing $9.33, $11.43, and $14.58, respectively.

However, while the US has a slightly cheaper basic plan ($8.99) its standard and premium plans are more expensive ($12.99 and $15.99, respectively) than both Norway’s and Sweden’s.

Just behind the US are those countries in the Eurozone (Germany, Finland, and the Netherlands). At present, they pay $8.89, $12.22, and $15.56 for their basic, standard, and premium subscriptions, respectively.

Despite its recent price increase, the third cheapest country out of the 10 we studied is the UK, where plans are $7.55, $11.34, and $15.13. This is closely followed by Canada where plans are $7.41, $10.37, and $12.59. But the cheapest plans in all our top 10 countries are in Australia with subscriptions of $6.90, $9.67, and $12.43.

Does this mean you should use a VPN to get an Australian IP address and watch Netflix AU?

Not necessarily, no.

Although it has the lowest price of all these countries, our recent study into the cost-effectiveness of Netflix subscriptions around the world found Australia to be less cost-effective than Canada on a cost-per-title basis due to their different library sizes. However, Australia did still make the top four in best value for money.

What’s in store for Netflix prices in the future?

Despite having the largest price increase over time, Canada is still one of the most cost-effective countries to watch Netflix in. But as we’ve seen, Netflix does seem to be trying to bring all of the prices around the world in line with one another.

What does this mean?

More potential price increases in Canada and hikes across the Eurozone. Countries like Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, who are already paying top dollar for their subscriptions, may be safe – for now.

Notes

It is worth noting that many of these price increases only applied to new customers for a certain period of time (existing customers often get a 2-year buffer).