The Cost of Having Your Period in Every Country and State
Around the World, a Month’s Supply of Period Products Ranges From $1.09 in El Salvador to $34.05 in Algeria
The options for period products are many, from tampons and sanitary napkins (or pads) to reusable, eco-friendly menstrual cups and underwear. But not everybody can access these supplies; according to the World Bank, an estimated 500 million people who menstruate worldwide experience period poverty, describing (partly) a lack of access to period supplies. Affordability is a factor.
In the U.S. alone, one in five teenagers has, at some point, struggled to afford much-needed sanitary products. So how much does it cost to have a period across the U.S. and from country to country? And how affordable are period products for the average person?
Online medical care provider PlushCare decided to find out. They researched how period supplies like tampons, sanitary pads, and over-the-counter painkiller medications are priced across 107 countries and each U.S. state.
Figures in hand, PlushCare then compared this cost to the average local person’s monthly income to find the most and least affordable countries and U.S. states to where to have your period.
Key Findings
Around the world, a month’s supply of period products ranges from $1.09 in El Salvador to $34.05 in Algeria.
In New York, a month’s supply of period products costs $15.56 — more expensive than any other state.
People who menstruate in New York will also spend the most over their lifetimes on period products ($7,282.08).
Based on the percentage of the average local person’s monthly income needed on period supplies, the UK (0.12%) and the U.S. (0.20%) are among the most affordable countries to have a period.
While Algeria (14.80%), Zambia (10.93%), and Nigeria (10.93%) are among the least affordable.
Credit: PlushCare study
The Methodology Behind This Study
PlushCare measured the cost of a period for an equivalent month’s usage of period products purchased at the cheapest available price per country and U.S. state in their local currencies before converting prices to U.S. Dollars.
The equivalent cost and usage per product were defined below for the analysis:
● Tampons: 20 tampons for every five-day, monthly menstrual cycle
● Panty liners: 25 panty liners for every five-day, monthly menstrual cycle
● Ibuprofen (pain killer): 24 (200mg) tablets per monthly menstrual cycle, according to recommended dosage vs. general length of period pain
The team also considered the cost of a reusable menstrual cup as an eco-friendly period product alongside ibuprofen, under the assumption that a menstrual cup can generally last for five years of usage.
Prices for each product were found via Google searches for a country’s local online pharmacies, drugstores, and supermarkets or by searching for the specific price of each product in each country’s Google search engine, both in English and in the country’s native language.
The affordability of period products was considered by measuring their equivalent monthly cost as a percentage of a country’s national net income per capita, according to the World Bank.
Currency exchange rates are correct as of 30 March 2023 via Google Exchange and XE.com.
Notes:
If a local retailer could not be found, researchers used the list prices of international marketplaces that deliver products to a country instead, such as Amazon and LoveLuna.com.
Due to shipping costs, international retailers were often more expensive than local stores, so this needs to be considered within the context of our findings.
Furthermore, some countries, such as Iceland, prohibit the online sale of medicines containing painkiller drugs such as paracetamol/acetaminophen or ibuprofen; for these countries, online retailers that deliver to those countries were used rather than local online pharmacies.
The lifetime cost of a period per U.S. state extrapolates monthly costs by 39 years — equivalent to the average age of a person’s period in the U.S., starting at 12 years old up until the average age of menopause onset at 51 years old.
Values in the United Kingdom should be defined as England, Wales, and Northern Ireland prices, as Scotland made sanitary products free to purchase in 2022.
About PlushCare
PlushCare provides online medical care for primary, urgent care, mental health, and therapy.
Making an in-person healthcare appointment can take weeks, but with PlushCare, patients can see providers online in as little as a day. The service is ideal for patients with urgent concerns or ongoing conditions and those who require everyday care and mental health services.
PlushCare’s nationwide virtual platform connects patients and healthcare professionals for same-day appointments. Its board-certified doctors and therapists are licensed in all 50 states and boast a 97% approval rating.
PlushCare accepts most major insurance plans, and patients can access quality primary care consultations and get diagnosed, treated, prescribed medication or have lab testing.
In addition to this, PlushCare has also created an online medical info center packed with trusted medical resources and expert-reviewed articles offering advice on preventative and urgent care, sexual health, mental health, and more. The PlushCare team also publishes original research into trending health topics and data-backed studies to offer insight into medical issues across the U.S. and the world.
About NeoMam Studios
Founded in 2011 in the UK, NeoMam Studios is a creative studio on a mission to create digital content that online audiences will want to share for months and years to come. NeoMam was commissioned by PlushCare to produce and promote this project on their behalf.