But the cost is more profound on an individual level. You head to the pharmacy to splash out on cold meds and cough syrup in an effort not to miss too much work or be labeled a \u201cpresentee\u201d and \u2014 you know \u2014 not feel like death warmed up. Regular illness takes its toll on your home life, relationships and self-esteem<\/a>. If you\u2019re your own boss, you feel the pinch twice: once as a business owner and once as the one who draws a paycheck.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, it\u2019s not a case of if you\u2019ll get a cold, but when you\u2019ll get your next one. The average adult gets two or three colds per year, with around one billion<\/a> colds affecting the U.S. annually. But if getting sick in America is notoriously expensive<\/a>, the cost of over-the-counter cold remedies is not the highest in the world. So NetCredit, an online lender offering personal installment loans<\/a> and lines of credit<\/a>, decided to find how the cost of the common cold stacks up from country to country.<\/p>\n NetCredit researched the local cost of six days\u2019 worth of cold medicine and cough syrup around the world. We converted all prices to USD and ranked them against each other in a series of maps and a chart illustrating the most expensive places on Earth to treat the common cold.<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Cold weather doesn\u2019t cause colds; any range of viruses<\/a> can do it. But while winter weather does create the conditions for cold viruses to survive and spread effectively, areas with warmer and tropical<\/a> climates tend to see similar<\/a> cold and flu infection numbers spread more evenly throughout the year. Certainly, there is little correlation between local temperature and the cost of cold remedies around the world, suggesting that high demand is not the issue among these, the countries with the highest costs.<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Cuba ($31.79) comes out as the worst market to stock up on cold remedies, with six days of supplies costing fully $3.50 more than second-placed Belize and nearly four times that of the neighboring Dominican Republic. Cuba is known for its robust healthcare system, with locals enjoying the same life expectancy as Americans despite the state spending just 4% per person<\/a> on healthcare each year compared to the U.S. However, Cuba makes the most of its limited resources by focusing on preventative measures<\/a> rather than cures, and the U.S. trade embargo<\/a> contributes to shortages that inflate prices.<\/p>\n Despite the relative wealth of the U.S., its cold remedies are not the most expensive on the continent \u2014 although they do work out nearly four bucks more expensive than in Canada ($20.98 vs. $17.12 over six days). Cuba and Belize have higher costs than the U.S. According to the Commonwealth Fund<\/a>, \u201cbefore the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act were introduced \u2014 the United States had worse outcomes and spent more on health care, largely because of greater use of medical technology and higher prices.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Americans can save money by taking a cue from the Cubans: think preventative<\/a> by getting flu shots, washing hands regularly and using natural remedies. It is also worth looking twice at the remedies you buy. Many expensive remedies are just cheaper ones repackaged<\/a> and marked up, and some contain multiple ingredients, negating the need to buy multiple products.<\/p>\n Cold remedies cost ten times as much in Bolivia ($23.17) as in Guyana ($0.27), the cheapest territory in the world. Guyana imports<\/a> most of its generic pharmaceuticals from India and Pakistan and balances the books by exporting<\/a> medication to neighboring Caribbean countries.<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Colombia offers mid-priced cold remedies ($9.99) amidst a liberal pharmaceutical culture where you rarely need a prescription. You can even use food delivery apps<\/a> to order medicines from a pharmacy. This may push the price up, but sometimes, it\u2019s just what you need when you\u2019ve caught a cold.<\/p>\n Armenia is one of Europe\u2019s least wealthy countries, but its \u201cprevailing sociopolitical and economic obstacles<\/a>\u201d are also partly responsible for the nation\u2019s expensive ($28.15) cold remedies \u2014 which cost nearly twice as much as wealthier Netherlands and Denmark. \u201cDirect out-of-pocket and illicit payments for medical services\u201d characterize Armenian healthcare, according to the International Journal for Equity in Health. The CDC recommends<\/a> bringing cold remedies with you if traveling from abroad.<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The U.K. offers relatively affordable cold remedies ($10.70), with only five European countries being cheaper. U.K. supermarkets<\/a> tend to stock their own unbranded remedies<\/a> as cheap loss leaders, although like-for-like, they should be just as effective as pricier, branded drugs. \u201cRegulatory authorities who license medicines strictly control generic medicines to ensure they are equivalent to the branded product,\u201d explains Colin Cable<\/a>, Royal Pharmaceutical Society. \u201cThey have the same levels of safety and quality as branded products and produce the same therapeutic effect.\u201d<\/p>\n Cold remedy prices in the Middle East and Central Asia are not high. Turkey is the most expensive, but the costs are higher in 47 countries outside the region. Remedies are moderately priced ($11.16) in the United Arab Emirates, where the average wage is around USD 5,853\/month<\/a>. Like other countries around the world, UAE experienced a surge in respiratory tract viruses during the emergence from lockdown.<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \u201cFrom March or April [2020] during lockdown and beyond, we barely saw a common cold,\u201d said Emirati consultant pediatrician Dr. Misha Sahu<\/a> in May 2021. \u201cThen for six months I saw nothing, not even a runny nose\u2026 At the moment, I could easily see two or three children a day with a fever, of which one or two of them may have upper respiratory symptoms along with that.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s not much between the cost of a cold in Australia ($21.38) and New Zealand ($19.66), but both are edged out by Samoa ($24.00) as the most expensive in the region. Dr. Natasha Yates, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Australia\u2019s Bond University, emphasizes the efficacy of prevention: \u201cReally there are no medications that are proven to cure colds or flu, it\u2019s really just about your immune system,\u201d Yates tells 7NEWS<\/a>. \u201cFruit and veggies are great because they\u2019re a natural source of vitamins, particularly Vitamin C and D.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The South Asian countries of Nepal, India and Pakistan are among the cheapest places to cope with the common cold in this region. India and Pakistan have a strong capacity to produce their own medicines, although Pakistan lacks some of the raw materials<\/a>. However, Pakistanis can also turn to alternative remedies like the legal high of ephedra-laced Joshanda<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cold remedy pricing is diverse across Africa and does not necessarily follow from a nation\u2019s prosperity; the relatively high GDP nations of South Africa ($6.15) and Egypt ($1.67) have the cheapest cold medications in the continent.<\/p>\n Click here to see the image in full size<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Efforts to combat the common cold in Egypt date back at least 3,500 years to the Ebers Papyrus<\/a>, which urged sufferers to chant an incantation \u201cin association with the administration of milk of one who has borne a male child and fragrant gum.\u201d The cost of the gum is not known.<\/p>\n While the price of common cold treatments varies greatly around the world, the true costs are far from equal even within each country, pricing aside. Research has found that people who grew up economically disadvantaged are more susceptible<\/a> to colds in adulthood, while poorer people are also more likely to live in conditions<\/a> that promote the spread of respiratory viruses such as colds, the flu and Covid-19. You may also incur additional childcare or support costs if you have dependents, whether it is the carer or the dependent who gets sick.<\/p>\nWhat We Did<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Key Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
![\"Infographic](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/01_Chill-Factor_Static-Ranking.png\")
<\/p>\nThe Common Cold Costs Most in Cuba \u2013 But Preventative Action Prevails<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"World](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/02_Chill-Factor_World-Map.png\")
<\/p>\nU.S. Cold Costs Eclipse Those of Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/03_Chill-Factor_North-America-Map.png\")
<\/p>\nSouth America: Guyana is Cheapest in World for Cold Remedies<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/04_Chill-Factor_South-America-Map.png\")
<\/p>\nEurope: U.K. Offers Good Value Cold Treatment<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/05_Chill-Factor_Europe-Map.png\")
<\/p>\nMiddle East & Central Asia: Moderate Prices All Around<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/06_Chill-Factor_The-Middle-East-and-Central-Asia-Map.png\")
<\/p>\nRest of Asia & Oceania: Samoa, Australia and New Zealand Have Costliest Colds<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/07_Chill-Factor_The-Rest-of-Asia-Oceania-Map.png\")
<\/p>\nAfrica: Egypt Has Cheapest Remedies (and Long History of Trying)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.netcredit.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/04\/08_Chill-Factor_Africa-Map.png\")
<\/p>\nPrevention is Better Than the Cure<\/strong><\/h2>\n