✓ Sydney Morning Herald BusinessMoney & Work
How a Big Mac measures which countries actually pay workers best
Australia's McDonald's workers can buy 3.3 Big Macs per hour, placing Australia third globally behind only Denmark and Switzerland.
Princeton economist Orley Ashenfelter developed the Big Macs Per Hour index by recording wages and prices at McDonald's stores worldwide. The identical product and similar job roles make it a reliable cross-country measure of real purchasing power.
Australia scores 3.3 Big Macs per hour, third globally behind Denmark and Switzerland. In India, a worker needs four hours to afford just one.
- 3.3 Big Macs per hour, 3rd globally
- Australia's rank
- Denmark and Switzerland
- Top competitors
- Four hours to afford one Big Mac
- India comparison
- December 2023
- Recovery point
Why it mattersThe index shows Australian minimum-wage workers rank among the world's best paid in real terms, a direct result of legislated wage floors.
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