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Cost Obsessions Around the World
Google’s autocomplete function provides suggestions derived from common Google searches by other users. Comparing autocomplete results for searches on different countries reveals how certain places are perceived by people around the World.
It turns out that Google searches for the cost of something vary widely depending on the country of interest. For example, people are most interested in the cost of a passport or a patent in North America. As for Europe, many are concerned about practical things like the cost of living, studying, or buying a beer. Google users are interested in basic necessities such as food, livestock, and fuel in Africa. But if you look closely, you will find some more controversial search results, such as prostitution in Brazil, Ukraine, Hong Kong, and Latvia; slaves in Mauritania; a kidney in Iran; in vitro fertilization in Australia; and rhinoplasty in Korea.
Intrigued by the results of our U.S. state-by-state analysis of Google autocomplete results, we decided to see what the worldwide results look like. We began by googling a simple question for each country:
The results were then recorded and put into an infographic to see how countries and continents compare. Here are the results by continent:

Life in North America appears relatively boring. So boring that Canadians are chiefly interested in the cost of a passport for leaving the country. Better to go to Mexico where everyone has great abs.

Panama hats are popular in Ecuador. Prostitution is of interest in Brazil and Uruguay. And in Chile, the price of coke is of prime importance … we’re not sure which kind.

Some quirky search results for Europe include Rolexes in Switzerland, mooring a yacht in Monaco, nose jobs in Albania, and flying a MiG (a Russian fighter aircraft) in Russia.

For Asia there is a wide range of results, reflecting the diversity of cultures within the continent. The biggest financial concern for people searching about Lebanon appears to be the cost of a PS3; for Kuwait it is Lamborghinis, carpets for Armenia, and watermelons for Japan.

Google users are mostly concerned about the necessities of life in Africa. But apparently in the case of Sierra Leone people are more concerned about buying diamonds, and for Mauritania they are more concerned about purchasing slaves.

Apparently New Zealanders are a frisky lot, with great interest in vasectomies, while their Australian neighbors are concerned about the cost of in vitro fertilization. Quite the paradox.

The most common search about costs in Antarctica is for the cost of land. While the land there may not be terribly hospitable, there sure is a lot of it.
Looking at some of the most popular Google searches throughout the World reveals some cultural differences, but also many key similarities. It also provides insights into the sometimes-strange things people think about when they are alone.
Want to see more of the most popular goods and services whose prices people search for across the country? Sign up below for a future update from Fixr on the release of its super-detailed cost of living analysis, based on geography and demographics.
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moving to Argentina!
Patent Hell,
Scumbamadon'tcare.
Unless you have kids, then it's orthodonture.
Patent Hell,
and Passports! Very telling for sure.
This article is extremely misleading. It makes it sound like the residents of these countries are the ones most interested in the things respective of where they live when it's actually English speaking Google users - in other words, mostly if not entirely foreigners.
Good catch, but camels, cows, and slaves?
What century is this?
Smart people gearing up for Q3.
that's why i always wanted to fly a mig.
We all know that the top search in Israel is:
How much does an American Congress person cost?
I like that prostitutes are classified as "recreation" and so should coke. I can't imagene why it's classified as "food & beverage". This is obviously not scientific and prolly kinda misleading but a lot rings true.
Since eating involves movement of body parts (mouth), it should be considered recreation and exercise. If according to law, eating == exercise, then obesity will go down, right?
You, sir, should be the Fed Chairman!
Just like targeting 'full employment' as a measure of setting interest rates, we can also target 'zero obesity' as a measure of setting the ideal national average of calories burned (read consumed) per day. The more you eat, the more you exercise, and the less obese you are.
Based on current trends, a recommended daily diet for 'zero obesity' may look like the following:
[3x] Chocolate donuts, [1x] Bear claw
[2x] 12 oz. coffee w/ 3x sugar packets
[3x] Snack-size bag of Nacho[ral]-Cheese Doritos
[2x] King-size Snickers bar
[2x] 32 oz. soda (1x extra refill recommended)
[1x] Double-patty fast food burger w/ biggest portion fries and drink
[2x] Drumstick ice cream bars
[3x] 12 oz. Bud Lite or Coors Lite or equivalent
[12x] Microwave taquitos
[4x] Pizza slices
The 32 oz. soda should be Diet, of course.
So it's been the Japanese all along who have been obsessing about watermelon. No wonder KFC is so popular there.
Yeah, at least Argentina and Brazil have their priorities straight.
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Vasiline (affordable lubricant) will be in shortage everywhere soon .
Funeral for Ireland (my homeland). Huh?
I believe that the map of Europe used up there is somewhat hyper-optimistic ?!
Now did they VPN to each country and then use the specific goole site for that country, in the local language? Or is this really some "insight" into what 'Muricans or Anglophones are interested in these countries?
If the methodology is flawed, then everything built upon it is flawed. The math and SQL are the easy parts. Unfortunately, in too many cases- those are also the only parts that are really tested before awarding positions of responsibility or advanced degrees.
Good point.
I tested the Brazilian search (I am Brazilian), came out with :
1 Quanto custa viajar
2. Quanto custa o dolar
3. Quanto custa um Iphone 5
4. Quanto custa um casamento
But muricans love stereotypes.
Hmmm, Gas is almost free in Venezuela, so WTF?
Must be true, it's on the internet.
rotflmfao! TEOTCAWKIT. ( the end of the carnival as we know it)
Whats ironic, is that the PTB are controling population through hidden inflation.
There's no way the Fed. can QE more. There's plenty of food, and arable land. 1/3 of Earth is vertical, and we know less about our oceans than we do the entire 'solar system'.
Weather and other stupendous carbon credits(scheme~isms) are laughable...
Israels answer seems to be missing... pretty sure its "congress".
Love central Africa. Cow, cow, cow, goat, house, cow, to live.
Nice to see America is no longer concerned with the cost of freedom.......
Google search results notwithstanding, I've always thought Americans were unreasonably obsessed with the price of gasoline. Maybe most of us drive a lot more than I do, but I can think of a lot of things the price of which mean a lot more to me.
Pussy?
The Indians and Arabs have been mad about cows and camels forever.
My land mass, which would be my body now that our country is gone, is interested in bitcoin and curiously enough science, technology, engineering and math for K-12.
Looks like someone is having fun with his new analytics mapping tool. It makes even useless trivia look cool. But, I can tell you, for serious business applications - Tableaus.
I don't know why someone would sit around with a google toolbar open and dream this shit up. I suppose autocomplete has its uses. For someone who can't spell for shit.
I remember the early days of browser searching. I watched a guy sit at his desk and use the run box on the start menu to search. I'm thinking wtf - he has no clue. But beyond the comedic value of tabulating all the data, I can't see what social "good" this article does. Telling us cows and IVF is popular worldwide? Um, yeah ok I guess. Thanks for wasting my time.
Australia is also mad about housing, including apartments.
It has been fuelled by the population (ponzi) boom; fairly low interest rates, and other factors such as the Chinese (often in contravention of Foreign Investment Rules) buying up as much as they can get their hands on.
As far as housing affordability goes; just take a look at some of the graphs here.
http://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2015/04/oz-housing-affordability-measured/