Cost of Christmas around the world in 2023
Christmas can be one of the happiest times of the year for many families, but it can also be one of the most expensive. With a rise in the price of everything compared to last year, it looks like you might have to part with more this year when shopping for gifts, food and Christmas decorations.
We’ve taken a look at some of the costs of Christmas in 2023 around the world to help you with tips on how to save those precious earnings and cut down on Christmas spending.
Choose Currency
Total average cost of Christmas per country
By clicking on the country icons, you’ll be able to see the total cost of Christmas in that country. That number represents the total cost per household. Take a look at the average cost of living against the cost of Christmas in the UK, USA, Australia, Nigeria, Ghana, the Philippines and more.
Total cost per household ($)
Cost of Christmas by category
To see proportionately how expensive they are in relation to each other, we have grouped the average Christmas costs into spending categories:
Average cost of decorations. What is Christmas without a few trinkets and star lights? While decorations are a staple, they do not come cheap these days.
Average cost of Christmas dinner. The holidays are when we get to enjoy our favourite Christmas dishes. As mentioned, food takes up a huge part of the Christmas budget.
Average cost of gifts. We’re all hoping for a Christmas gift, no matter how small or big. However, gifting is sure to set you back a few pennies.
We can see that the cost of gifts is the highest across more than half of the countries. In fact, 54% of all the countries found that they spend more of their budgets on gifts.
For more information around the costs per category per country, click on the graph below:
Christmas food
Christmas decorations
Christmas gifts
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Canada
23%
26%
55%
$1717
Germany
17%
17%
$1653
Australia
32%
24%
44%
$1188
USA
12%
19%
69%
$1205
France
11%
24%
66%
$1142
Mexico
16%
33%
52%
$1055
UK
12%
19%
70%
$1042
Italy
20%
29%
51%
$841
Netherlands
30%
21%
50%
$657
Cameroon
34%
51%
15%
$650
Philippines
60%
7%
33%
$614
Spain
38%
15%
47%
$742
Guatemala
11%
64%
25%
$324
Fiji
13%
59%
28%
$278
Zimbabwe
22%
37%
41%
$254
Rwanda
32%
34%
34%
$239
Nigeria
52%
31%
17%
$218
Colombia
10%
49%
41%
$198
Kenya
21%
23%
56%
$215
Dominican Republic
11%
80%
10%
$208
South Africa
26%
36%
38%
$166
India
40%
27%
33%
$146
Nepal
50%
23%
26%
$86
Uganda
56%
20%
23%
$64
Christmas Inflation: how much can countries around the world expect to spend on Christmas in 2023 compared to 2022
Worldwide inflation will also hit Christmas shopping this year. Last year, our study looked at 23 countries where the average bulk of costs went to gifts and food over the holidays. According to our 2023 study, families around the world can expect to spend up to 24% more on Christmas this year. Find out below how much more each country should expect to spend on Christmas in 2023 compared to 2022.
Country | % change compared to 2022 |
|---|---|
Nigeria | 23.71 |
Dominican Republic | 22.25 |
Zimbabwe | 19.38 |
Spain | 12.69 |
Australia | 10.69 |
India | 8.99 |
Rwanda | 7.93 |
Kenya | 7.73 |
France | 5.92 |
Germany | 4.72 |
Philippines | 4.45 |
Colombia | 4.08 |
Guatemala | 3.49 |
Uganda | 3.26 |
Cameroon | 0.2 |
South Africa | -1.87 |
USA | -2.51 |
Netherlands | -9.53 |
UK | -9.67 |
Mexico | -11.14 |
Fiji | -12.32 |
Canada | -17.03 |
Money saving tips for Christmas
In many countries, the average price tag on Christmas items like trees, candles and fairy lights, as well as foods - including the popular noche buena in the Philippines - have gone up. Here are some tips to help you keep more in your pocket this Christmas:
Go for the sales!
It’s always a good idea to look out for seasonal sales like Black Friday on November 24th and Cyber Monday on November 27th. Many online and offline shops offer great deals during these days. The discounts are a great way to get ahead of Christmas shopping and save.
Put it on your list
From winding down the year to making holiday plans, Christmas can be a busy time of year for you. Making lists is a great way to get organised and take advantage of cheap deals and savings.
Have your eye on a Christmas candle set or are trying out a new recipe this year? List everything from ingredients and gift ideas.
Pro Tip: make sure you include an estimate of the cost of each item so you have a good idea of how much you might have to spend on it.
Stick to a budget
It may be the silly season, but the last thing you want to do is leave budgeting out. Creating a Christmas budget will help you fully understand where your money is going and where the most spending is taking place. Try splitting the budget into food, gifts and decorations.
A budget will help you track your Christmas spending:
“There is a big difference amongst the income classes in Uganda - families living below the poverty line can’t afford even a little rice for Christmas. Unlike the middle class that buy items in local markets and shops where prices are moderate to cheap, the upper-class spend more than this on Christmas as they buy these items in supermarkets, where prices are always fixed high with little to no discounts. I make Christmas budgets for my entire family each year!”
- Faith. Kampala, Uganda.
Beat the Christmas rush!
For Christmas to run smoothly, do yourself a favour: don’t leave preps and plans until the last minute. That includes shopping. Now that you’ve got a list, start ticking things off. Do your best to enjoy specials and deals while they last, as prices tend to rise the closer to the big day we get.
In Nigeria the price surge starts as soon as December hits:
“The traditional Nigerian celebration starts from the first day of December with the sounds of fireworks and last-minute shopping, which attracts an increase in the price of items from 5% to even 50% the closer it gets to the festivities. Most of the shopping is done in November, except for perishable goods, which are bought in early December. “
- Nadyi. Lagos, Nigeria
Search for best prices
So, mum back home’s been dropping hints about a certain brand of pots she’d like? Since you’re already making a Christmas shopping list, you might as well add it to a wish list and budget for it!
Make sure you get gifts, food and decorations at the best prices by shopping around. Compare prices by searching online and in store for the same items. Are you sending money to relatives around the world? Make sure you get the best exchange rates and the best offers.
You might also like
Cost of Christmas Methodology
The Christmas items were selected based on desk research of typical Christmas meals, gifts, traditions, travel and decorations. We then researched the average price of each item for an average family on an average income. The prices were researched online in late September 2023. Prices and breakdowns of what is appropriate for Christmas celebrations in each country were then shared with a local of that country who we hired to validate the data as correct, and where needed, made appropriate adjustments to the data.
The exchange rate from the local currency was calculated on Monday 30 October. The percentage figures are percentages of the overall budget in the local currency. The family household size was taken from the CIA World Factbook and the household income from The World Bank.
Total spending for food = Cost of the main Christmas dinner (assumes meal feeds a household)
Total spending for Christmas gifts = cost of Christmas presents for family and friends (assumes gifts spend covers a given household)
Total spending for Christmas decorations = Cost of Christmas trees, decorations, fairy lights, etc (assumes decorations spend covers a given household)
The exhaustive list of sources can be found in this sources document.
You can read the full release here.