How much pizza can $1 get you around the world?

It might be romantic to imagine walking around New York City accompanied by paper plates and pizza servings, but once you get there it’s all too clear that the days of the dollar slice are all but over. Sure, there are still some famous family run institutions that try to keep their prices competitive, but by and large pizza is not the cheap eat it once was. In actual fact, the world’s favourite fast food seems to be becoming less affordable by the minute.

It’s easy to complain about how much your Saturday night takeaway might be costing, but another thing entirely to know whether you might be better off elsewhere. Fortunately, thanks largely to a new piece of research commissioned by a furniture company, we now all know just how much bang we could be getting for our buck.

According to a new graphic published by Climadoor.com, the difference in price for a slice of pizza can vary wildly depending on where you are in the world. But, though there are some obvious names at the pricier end of the list, the study has also thrown up a number of surprising results.

It turns out that if you want to choose your home based exclusively on the availability of affordable junk food, then New Zealand is the destination for you. The study reveals that for the measly sum of one American dollar you can get yourself an average of 2.3 slices in the small Australasian nation. If beautiful scenery and the chance to see Middle Earth weren’t enough reasons to head south, then surely their pizza prices must seal the deal.

New Zealand is not the only country that seems intent on offering residents reasonable fast food. Other nations that specialise in cheap pizza include Egypt (2.1 slices per dollar), Poland (1.6 slices per dollar) and Indonesia (1.6 slices per dollar), giving hungry travellers a convenient itinerary for a European, African and South Pacific food themed trip.

Unfortunately, for the rest of us, this is where the bargains seem to stop. At the other end of the spectrum, we find pizza purveyors more interested in rinsing their audience than giving a good deal. The least affordable pizza on earth, for instance, hails from Finland, where residents can expect to get a measly 0.3 slices for their dollar. The situation isn’t much better in the UK, Hong Kong, Sweden or Japan, where slices currently sit at 0.4 on the dollar. Hard times indeed if you’re a fast food fan.

In the interest of balance, the Climadoor study only took into account the average price for a large margherita, before breaking it down slice by size. When scaled up, the study makes for even more damning reading for anyone outside of New Zealand. In Finland, the average margherita will set you back a whopping $26.50, while Brits pay an average of $20.08 for their cheese and tomato. Finding out that New Zealanders are paying a measly $3.46 is enough to make anyone weep.

To find out where your country ranks, check out the full graphic here. Of course, more research is needed before we can definitively say we all have to head across the Pacific. There’s no word, for instance, on how other foods fair in comparison to pizza. But, if affordable pie is what you’re after, you now know the country you need to head to.