This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
In many parts of the world, taking a hot shower is a simple pleasure, leaving you refreshed and feeling good, while being considered good for your well-being. However, in some regions, the decision to indulge in a warm shower is far from straightforward. The equipment, water, and energy required for a hot shower can make it an economic luxury. According to our recent study conducted by the QS Supplies team, there are countries where taking a daily shower throughout the year would consume a third or more of the average local’s annual income.
A daily shower is not essential to maintain good personal hygiene (indeed, showering too frequently may be bad for you). But its relative inaccessibility across many nations is a stark reminder that billions of people are deprived of the fundamental human right “to have accessible and affordable access to sanitation, in all spheres of life, that is safe, hygienic, secure, and socially and culturally acceptable.” And that a “water or sanitation service does not serve the whole community if it is too expensive,” according to the United Nations.
With the rising costs of water and energy in Europe and other parts of the world, QS Supplies has conducted a comprehensive analysis to determine where taking a shower is the most and least expensive globally. We have explored which countries make a year of hot showers most affordable compared to the average income of the local population.
Denmark tops the list as the most expensive country for a year of daily hot showers, costing $802.
The United Kingdom takes the 9th spot with an annual expense of $573, while the United States ranks 36th, with a cost of $264.
On the other end of the spectrum, Egypt and Suriname offer the most affordable annual shower costs, priced at just $33 per year for a daily hot shower.
Rwanda faces the worst affordability, with a year of hot showers amounting to a staggering 46.17% of the average annual income.
Norway leads in providing the most accessible annual shower costs, accounting for only 0.31% of the average local income.
The Yearly Cost of Taking Shower Around the World
In the United Kingdom, approximately 18% of energy consumption is allocated to heating water, and about 68% of household water usage is attributed to bathroom taps and shower heads, as reported by Waterwise. However, it’s important to note that the cost and accessibility of water and heating energy exhibit significant variations across the globe. Below, you’ll find the annual expenses associated with a daily shower in each country for which data is available.
According to the world map, the average annual cost for a daily shower across the 89 countries is approximately $260. This figure is just slightly below the U.S. average, which totals $264, comprising $230 for electricity and $33.72 for water. Interestingly, this places Americans in a favorable position, as they enjoy the third-best deal when comparing this cost to the average national income. Perhaps that’s just as well since the daily or near-daily shower has been regarded essential since the rise of “a new class of office drones working in close quarters” in the beginning of 20th century – when advertisers of soaps took advantage by playing on workers’ concerns about personal odor in proximity to their colleagues, hence the enduring ritual of “rinse and repeat.”
Denmark, known as one of the world’s wealthiest nations and ranked 17th for its high cost of living, has the highest expense per shower. In Italy, the second-highest in terms of costs, energy crisis-related price surges have been so significant that small businesses are resorting to displaying their utility bills in their storefront windows. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, where the first mechanical shower was conceived by William Feetham in 1767, the annual cost of enjoying a daily shower amounts to $573.
The Most Affordable Countries to Take Shower
The example of Denmark – a wealthy nation with high energy costs – goes to demonstrate that an expensive shower needn’t be unaffordable, just as cheaper shower costs may be too much for those on a low income. To figure out which nations have the most and least affordable daily shower, the team compared local energy prices against the average local net income worldwide. The percentage figures in the tables below illustrate the portion of an individual’s annual income that would be spent on showering, assuming a daily hot shower using 59.8 liters of water.
Norway offers the best value daily shower, thanks to below-average bills on a substantial adjusted net income per capita of $53,514. Norway’s unique advantage in having relatively low energy costs amidst a high cost of living is primarily owed to the country’s robust hydropower infrastructure. But, because of low rainfall levels in 2022 have caused energy reserves to diminish, resulting in an unusual rhyme between the lack of precipitation from the atmosphere and a grown cost of taking a shower.
But despite this rise in prices, government subsidies and tactical use of off-peak energy have kept Norwegian bills lower than in much of the world. Meanwhile, Argentina has a comparatively low average income but maintains the 11th-best value globally, thanks to its substantial subsidies that benefit bill-payers.
The Least Affordable Countries to Take Shower
Low incomes in some of the poorest parts of the world can offset cheap electricity and make daily showers an unaffordable extravagance for most residents.
The list of countries with the least affordable showers is predominantly occupied by African nations. Rwanda, Mali, and Uganda each contend with a three-digit average income while grappling with utility expenses that surpass those in some of the wealthiest countries worldwide. However, the price of using water is not the primary hurdle faced by Rwandans in their pursuit of a daily shower. Shockingly, only “5 percent of households in Rwanda have a designated area for family members to wash their hands with soap,” as reported by UNICEF.
With Power Shower Comes Responsibility
Amidst the ongoing energy crisis, the study serves as a timely reminder that while access to affordable sanitation is a fundamental human right, the luxury of a daily hot shower is far from universal.
It may be wise to prioritize shower quality over quantity for those struggling with high utility costs. Extended daily showers can be not only expensive but also potentially harmful to your skin. Dermatologists recommend limiting your shower time to a range of five to ten minutes to cleanse your body effectively without dehydrating your skin. If you are in the United Kingdom, you can save money on your water bill by taking a shower instead of a bath, but only if you keep your shower time to a minimum. If you take a ten-minute shower, it may end up costing you more than a bath.
Consider taking fewer showers but taking the time to ritualize the event, savoring the ambiance of your well-curated bathroom, and you can get the sense of indulgence without the big bills to match.
The Methodology Behind This Study
To determine the cost of showering worldwide, the QS Supplies team computed the annual cost of taking a warm shower every day in every nation.
First, the team derived the price of water per litre and the cost of electricity per kWh for 89 nations in their local currencies. Electricity usage costs per country were obtained from GlobalPetrolPrices.
The information regarding water usage costs in each country was extracted from various sources, including local government websites, news articles, and guides provided by local water companies that outline the pricing structure for water usage.
To calculate the cost of electricity usage from showering, the team utilized a tool via POWER Calculation based on the formula
E = C*V*DeltaT/PR, where: E = energy in kWh C = Specific heat of water – 4.187 kJ/kgK or 1,163 Wh/kg°C V = volume of water to heat deltaT = Th-Tc (Th = temperature of hot water; Tc = temperature of input cold water) PR = performance ratio (including losses of heat through pipes and tank), default value = 0.9
Water usage costs range between flat rates, price brackets for household sizes, and cost per unit. In any cases that provided price brackets or distinctions between various household types, the team assumed usage from showering would not exceed 1,818 liters per month (the U.S. average) and that the usage was from average-sized residential households within each respective country. It’s worth noting that the expenses associated with sewage treatment were not factored into our final pricing assessment for each country.
I don’t think most US households use electricity to heat their water though; it’s usually gas!