Global Fashion Price Gap Widens: Zurich Five Times Costlier Than Delhi

The summer vacations are coming and social networks begin to fill with comments from tourists surprised by the big difference in prices between the clothes they can buy at Zara in Spain and in their countries of origin. Fashion adapts its prices to cope with higher costs in a given market or simply to raise its positioning. What is the price difference, for example, between clothes sold in Zurich and Delhi?

According to the latest Deutsche Bank report, fashion in the European city is five times more expensive than in India: while in Zurich, Switzerland, the price of a pair of jeans averages around $139, in Delhi it is $28. They are the most expensive and the cheapest city for shopping, according to the ranking.

The second most expensive city is Geneva, where an average of $137 is asked for a pair of jeans. Behind, Copenhagen, with an average of $127; London, with $118, and Edinburgh, $177. The ranking is completed by Manila, where buying a pair of Levi’s costs approximately 45 dollars, followed by Cairo, with an average of $32, Mumbai, $29, and Bangalore, $28.

The second most expensive city to buy clothes is Geneva, with an average of $137 

Buenos Aires is the city that has become the most expensive in the last five years: it has risen 33 positions compared to 2020, a sign of the high inflation that shakes the Argentinean country. It is followed by London and Boston, which have risen 20 and 19 positions in the ranking, respectively. Lastly, Edinburgh and Dubai, which have risen 16 and 15 positions.

On the other hand, Taipei is the city that has become the cheapest in the last five years, dropping thirty positions in the ranking. In this regard, Rome has fallen 25 positions, despite its central position in the ranking. Abu Dhabi fell 21 positions; Stockholm, fifteen, and Shanghai, fourteen.

The ranking also establishes the most expensive and the cheapest cities to buy a hypothetical summer dress in any fashion chain. Here Buenos Aires leads, where buying a piece costs, on average, the equivalent of $86. It is followed by Geneva, with an average of 81 dollars; Oslo, 65; Riyadh, 65, and Dubai, 61.

Below, three cities in India (supplier country for the fashion industry) are among the cheapest to buy a dress: it costs 30 dollars in Bangalore, 30 dollars in Mumbai and $32 in Delhi. In Santiago (Chile) and Cape Town (South Africa), it would cost $33 on average. In Bangalore, the cheapest city, the product is sold almost three times cheaper than in the Argentine capital.

The biggest price increases have been recorded in Istanbul, which has risen 36 places in the ranking. Oslo climbed 30 places, as did Athens. Edinburgh repeats, up 26 places, and lastly Hungary, which is up 21 places. Rome is back in the ranking, losing 31 positions, along with Helsinki, which falls thirty positions. Cairo, finally, falls 29 places.