{ "name": "The Hours Index", "edition": "2026", "checked": "2026-09-29", "about": "What the same things cost in hours of work, country by country. Hours = price / (net pay a year / 2,080). One source of truth: scripts/build-hours-index.py writes every page, table and card of mist.huliwood.com/hours/ from this file. Change a number here, never in a page.", "hours_a_year": 2080, "hours_note": "52 weeks of 40 hours, the yardstick Money is Time uses, for every country whatever its workers actually put in.", "pay": { "what": "Net take-home pay of a single full-time worker with no children on 100% of the national average wage: gross wage earnings less personal income tax and employee social security contributions, plus cash benefits (none for this household). Annual, national currency.", "year": 2025, "estimate_note": "For most countries the OECD's 2025 average wage is its own estimate: 2024 pay grown by the whole-economy wage growth in its Economic Outlook. Of these ten, only Australia's is final data (\"The final 2025 average gross wage earnings were used for Australia\", Taxing Wages 2026, Methodology and limitations); a country with \"final\": true says so.", "average_wage": "The OECD average wage is that of an adult full-time worker in industry and private-sector services (ISIC Rev. 4 sectors B to N: no farming, public administration, education or health), a mean, so the typical (median) worker earns less.", "source": "OECD, Taxing Wages 2026 (April 2026), dataset Labour taxation: tax wedge decompositions (DSD_TAX_WAGES_DECOMP@DF_TW_DECOMP 2.1), measure NWE (net wage earnings), household S_C0, earnings AW100", "url": "https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2026/04/taxing-wages-2026_d1f39986.html", "data_url": "https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.CTP.TPS,DSD_TAX_WAGES_DECOMP@DF_TW_DECOMP,2.1/USA+GBR+DEU+ESP+FRA+ITA+CHE+AUS+JPN+MEX.NWE+GWE.XDC.S_C0.AW100._Z.A?startPeriod=2025&endPeriod=2025", "cross_check": "Equal, to the cent, to NIAT (net income after taxes) in the OECD comparative table DSD_TAX_WAGES_COMP@DF_TW_COMP 2.1 for the same household, checked 2026-09-29.", "growth_2024_2025": { "us": 0.0412, "gb": 0.0476, "de": 0.0295, "es": 0.0336, "fr": 0.0133, "it": 0.0584, "ch": 0.0068, "au": 0.0721, "jp": 0.0230, "mx": 0.0396 }, "growth_note": "Growth of the same take-home pay from 2024 to 2025 (NIAT, DSD_TAX_WAGES_COMP@DF_TW_COMP 2.1), for the caveat that pay has risen since the year the index uses." }, "items": [ { "id": "iphone", "name": "iPhone 18 Pro", "the": "the iPhone 18 Pro", "a": "an iPhone 18 Pro", "detail": "256 GB", "what": "Apple's list price for the iPhone 18 Pro with 256 GB, on Apple's own store in each country.", "source": "Apple Store online, each country", "checked": "2026-09-29", "unit": "hours" }, { "id": "car", "name": "Tesla Model Y", "the": "a Tesla Model Y", "a": "a Tesla Model Y", "detail": "the cheapest version on sale", "what": "The price Tesla lists for the cheapest Model Y it sells in each country: the car itself, with VAT or GST where the country charges it, before delivery and registration fees and before any subsidy.", "source": "Tesla's Model Y configurator, each country", "checked": "2026-09-29", "unit": "hours" }, { "id": "bigmac", "name": "Big Mac", "the": "a Big Mac", "a": "a Big Mac", "detail": "The Economist's price", "what": "The price of a Big Mac that The Economist uses for its Big Mac index, July 2026.", "source": "The Economist, The Big Mac index, July 2026 (github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data, source-data/big-mac-source-data-v2.csv, date 2026-07-01). Data licensed CC BY 4.0.", "url": "https://github.com/TheEconomist/big-mac-data", "checked": "2026-09-29", "unit": "minutes" } ], "countries": [ { "code": "us", "iso3": "USA", "slug": "united-states", "name": "the United States", "short": "United States", "currency": "USD", "symbol": "$", "pay": { "net": 55644.19, "gross": 73520.08 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 1199, "url": "https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro", "note": "Before sales tax, as American shops show prices." }, "car": { "price": 39990, "trim": "Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/modely/design", "note": "Before sales tax and fees, as Tesla's US site shows it (Vehicle Price)." }, "bigmac": { "price": 6.22 } } }, { "code": "gb", "iso3": "GBR", "slug": "united-kingdom", "name": "the United Kingdom", "short": "United Kingdom", "currency": "GBP", "symbol": "£", "pay": { "net": 43027.30, "gross": 55982.59 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 1199, "url": "https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 41000, "trim": "Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/modely/design", "note": "Tesla's UK site shows £41,990: this price plus £925 destination and documents, a £55 first registration fee and £10 of vehicle excise duty." }, "bigmac": { "price": 5.49 } } }, { "code": "de", "iso3": "DEU", "slug": "germany", "name": "Germany", "short": "Germany", "currency": "EUR", "symbol": "€", "pay": { "net": 40902.41, "gross": 66700.04 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 1449, "url": "https://www.apple.com/de/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 39990, "trim": "Model Y Hinterradantrieb", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/de_DE/modely/design", "note": "Before Tesla's €980 destination and authority fee (€40,970 in all) and before the state EV subsidy of up to €6,000 that Tesla's site points to." }, "bigmac": { "price": 6.99 } } }, { "code": "es", "iso3": "ESP", "slug": "spain", "name": "Spain", "short": "Spain", "currency": "EUR", "symbol": "€", "pay": { "net": 24984.75, "gross": 32678.40 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 1469, "url": "https://www.apple.com/es/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 40990, "trim": "Model Y Tracción trasera", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/es_ES/modely/design", "note": "Before Tesla's €980 destination and documentation fee and the €1,210 Plan Auto+ incentive it deducts (€40,760 in all)." }, "bigmac": { "price": 5.90 } } }, { "code": "fr", "iso3": "FRA", "slug": "france", "name": "France", "short": "France", "currency": "EUR", "symbol": "€", "pay": { "net": 33103.82, "gross": 45964.38 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 1479, "url": "https://www.apple.com/fr/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 40990, "trim": "Model Y Propulsion", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/fr_FR/modely/design", "note": "Before the €3,600 CEE Coup de pouce bonus and registration taxes." }, "bigmac": { "price": 5.60 } } }, { "code": "it", "iso3": "ITA", "slug": "italy", "name": "Italy", "short": "Italy", "currency": "EUR", "symbol": "€", "pay": { "net": 26117.98, "gross": 36593.93 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 1489, "url": "https://www.apple.com/it/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 40990, "trim": "Model Y Trazione posteriore", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/it_IT/modely/design", "note": "Before Tesla's €980 registration and delivery fee and the €6.23 tyre levy (€41,976 on the road)." }, "bigmac": { "price": 6.56 } } }, { "code": "ch", "iso3": "CHE", "slug": "switzerland", "name": "Switzerland", "short": "Switzerland", "currency": "CHF", "symbol": "CHF", "pay": { "net": 82535.56, "gross": 100714.67 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 1199, "url": "https://www.apple.com/ch-de/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 40990, "trim": "Model Y Hinterradantrieb", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/de_CH/modely/design", "note": "Before Tesla's CHF 990 destination and authority fee (CHF 41,980 in all)." }, "bigmac": { "price": 7.30 } } }, { "code": "au", "iso3": "AUS", "slug": "australia", "name": "Australia", "short": "Australia", "currency": "AUD", "symbol": "A$", "pay": { "net": 83110.32, "gross": 108674.00, "final": true }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 2099, "url": "https://www.apple.com/au/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 58900, "trim": "Model Y Premium Rear-Wheel Drive", "premium": true, "url": "https://www.tesla.com/en_AU/modely/design", "note": "Tesla sells no base Model Y in Australia; the Premium Rear-Wheel Drive is the cheapest. Before Tesla's A$1,400 delivery fee and A$400 order fee, and before stamp duty, registration and insurance, which vary by state." }, "bigmac": { "price": 8.50 } } }, { "code": "jp", "iso3": "JPN", "slug": "japan", "name": "Japan", "short": "Japan", "currency": "JPY", "symbol": "¥", "pay": { "net": 4411491.83, "gross": 5703038.49 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 219800, "url": "https://www.apple.com/jp/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 5587000, "trim": "Model Y Premium RWD", "premium": true, "url": "https://www.tesla.com/ja_JP/modely/design", "note": "Tesla sells no base Model Y in Japan; the Premium RWD is the cheapest. Before Tesla's ¥100,000 registration fee and the ¥1,270,000 EV subsidy its site deducts." }, "bigmac": { "price": 500 } } }, { "code": "mx", "iso3": "MEX", "slug": "mexico", "name": "Mexico", "short": "Mexico", "currency": "MXN", "symbol": "MX$", "pay": { "net": 190675.14, "gross": 219608.23 }, "prices": { "iphone": { "price": 29999, "url": "https://www.apple.com/mx/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-18-pro" }, "car": { "price": 799000, "trim": "Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive", "url": "https://www.tesla.com/es_MX/modely/design" }, "bigmac": { "price": 109 } } } ] }