Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority
Apple Music is one of the top Spotify alternatives for lovers of good songs and podcasts, especially the more iOS-inclined. But it isn’t a more affordable option — the Individual plan of both streaming services costs $10.99 per month in the US. What you might not know is that the monthly subscription price of Apple Music is different in every country, and those differences can be quite stark. We’ve looked into how much Apple Music costs around the world and whether you can take advantage of these disparities.
QUICK ANSWER
The monthly cost of an Apple Music Individual plan in different countries ranges from $1.19 to $16.24. India is currently the cheapest place for the service, followed closely by Turkey and China. Denmark and Switzerland have the most expensive monthly plans in USD terms.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
In which countries is Apple Music the cheapest?
![Apple Music browse UI Apple Music browse UI](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Apple-Music-browse-UI.jpg)
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
We’ve looked into the price of Apple Music in 50 countries for the purpose of this comparison. The service is available in many other regions, but we’ve covered all of the major markets from every continent. We’re also fairly certain that we know the cheapest and most expensive countries for Apple Music.
We’ve only compared the cost of the Apple Music Individual plan in compiling this analysis. The reason is that every country has this plan, and it’s both the most common for subscribers and the most straightforward. If we started looking at Family or Student plans, 12-month deals, and so on, we’d be here all day. Besides, the price structures for each country are proportionate, so a country that is the cheapest for the Individual plan is likely to be amongst the cheapest for all other types of plan.
Check out how much Apple Music costs around the world in the table below. We looked up the price of the service in the local currency of each country and then converted it to the equivalent in USD on the date of publishing this article. We’ve also put them in order of cheapest to most expensive so that you can easily see how the deal in your country compares with others.
Rank | Country | Cost p/m in USD | Rank | Country | Cost p/m in USD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank 1 |
Country
India |
Cost p/m in USD
$1.19 |
Rank
26 |
Country
South Korea |
Cost p/m in USD $6.85 |
Rank 2 |
Country
Turkey |
Cost p/m in USD
$1.37 |
Rank
27 |
Country
Czechia |
Cost p/m in USD $7.39 |
Rank 3 |
Country
China |
Cost p/m in USD
$1.55 |
Rank
28 |
Country
Japan |
Cost p/m in USD $7.58 |
Rank 4 |
Country
Egypt |
Cost p/m in USD
$1.78 |
Rank
29 |
Country
Mexico |
Cost p/m in USD $7.60 |
Rank 5 |
Country
Philippines |
Cost p/m in USD
$2.51 |
Rank
30 |
Country
Hong Kong |
Cost p/m in USD $8.06 |
Rank 6 |
Country
Vietnam |
Cost p/m in USD
$2.68 |
Rank
31 |
Country
Portugal |
Cost p/m in USD $8.26 |
Rank 7 |
Country
Chile |
Cost p/m in USD
$2.89 |
Rank
32 |
Country
Canada |
Cost p/m in USD $8.27 |
Rank 8 |
Country
Malaysia |
Cost p/m in USD
$3.63 |
Rank
33 |
Country
Singapore |
Cost p/m in USD $8.29 |
Rank 9 |
Country
Colombia |
Cost p/m in USD
$3.89 |
Rank
34 |
Country
Australia |
Cost p/m in USD $8.83 |
Rank 10 |
Country
Thailand |
Cost p/m in USD
$4.02 |
Rank
35 |
Country
New Zealand |
Cost p/m in USD $10.70 |
Rank 11 |
Country
Indonesia |
Cost p/m in USD
$4.20 |
Rank
36 |
Country
United States |
Cost p/m in USD $10.99 |
Rank 12 |
Country
Hungary |
Cost p/m in USD
$5.17 |
Rank
37 |
Country
Sweden |
Cost p/m in USD $11.89 |
Rank 13 |
Country
Taiwan |
Cost p/m in USD
$5.30 |
Rank
38 |
Country
Austria |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 14 |
Country
Poland |
Cost p/m in USD
$5.59 |
Rank
39 |
Country
Belgium |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 15 |
Country
Saudi Arabia |
Cost p/m in USD
$5.86 |
Rank
40 |
Country
Germany |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 16 |
Country
United Arab Emirates |
Cost p/m in USD
$5.99 |
Rank
41 |
Country
Spain |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 17 |
Country
Argentina |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
42 |
Country
France |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 18 |
Country
Bolivia |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
43 |
Country
Ireland |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 19 |
Country
Costa Rica |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
44 |
Country
Italy |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 20 |
Country
Ecuador |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
45 |
Country
Netherlands |
Cost p/m in USD $12.12 |
Rank 21 |
Country
Peru |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
46 |
Country
Finland |
Cost p/m in USD $13.22 |
Rank 22 |
Country
Paraguay |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
47 |
Country
Norway |
Cost p/m in USD $13.63 |
Rank 23 |
Country
El Salvador |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
48 |
Country
United Kingdom |
Cost p/m in USD $13.96 |
Rank 24 |
Country
Uruguay |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
49 |
Country
Denmark |
Cost p/m in USD $16.10 |
Rank 25 |
Country
Jamaica |
Cost p/m in USD
$6.49 |
Rank
50 |
Country
Switzerland |
Cost p/m in USD $16.24 |
India is the cheapest country in the world for an Apple Music Individual plan, with subscribers there paying the equivalent of just $1.19 per month. Turkey is the next cheapest at $1.37 per month, and then China at $1.55 per month. Spending power in each nation will be a major driver in determining this pricing — Apple will have considered the best way to maximize profit and so won’t want to price out the majority of interested customers. Many other market forces will also be at play. These will include exchange rate fluctuations since we’re comparing the price differences in US dollar terms.
Denmark and Switzerland are the countries that pay the most for Apple Music. Subscribers in both countries pay the equivalent of over $16 per month for the Individual plan, which is over $5 more than consumers in the United States.
Can I use a VPN for Apple Music to save money?
![express vpn review 1 express vpn connected on mobile](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/express-vpn-review-1-scaled.jpg)
Ankit Banerjee / Android Authority
VPNs have a number of great features. The encryption of your connection and the worldwide nodes mean that you can spoof your online location and make it appear that you’re in a different country. Those in the know about VPNs may be reading this post and already wondering if they could use a VPN to sign up for Apple Music in a different country and save a heap of cash.
We haven’t attempted this, but it may be theoretically possible. We suspect, however, it wouldn’t be as easy as just flicking on your VPN and signing up. Most streaming services have filters that attempt to detect which apparent IP addresses are coming from a VPN node, so you may fall at the first hurdle. But even being able to represent yourself in a different country may not be sufficient to sign up. Your payment method, such as the bank account you attempt to use for regular payments, may also need to be from the country in question.
Even if you think you’re able to use a VPN to sign up for Apple Music in a different country, we would advise against it. It’s possible that you could be breaking the law of that nation in some way, either via consumer laws or fraud. In any event, you’ll almost certainly be in violation of Apple Music’s terms and conditions. As and when you’re discovered, your account will likely be banned.
FAQs
Spotify and Apple Music are roughly equivalent in price. The Individual plan for both is $10.99 in the USA, and the cost of Spotify around the world is broadly similar to Apple Music.