Average appliance cost is 2nd highest in S'pore but fridges most affordable among 34 countries: Study

In a survey of 34 countries, refrigerators were found to be the most affordable and fourth cheapest in Singapore.

But dishwashers and clothes dryers were found to be the most and second most expensive respectively in the Republic.

The study was conducted by a Canada-based website called ApplianceGeeked by comparing the price points of similar Samsung appliance models across 34 countries.

The average cost of appliances is the lowest in India whereas it is the highest and second highest in Denmark and Singapore respectively.

"Even though appliances cost less price-wise in a specific country, it doesn’t mean it’s affordable," wrote Matt Kerr, founder of ApplianceGeeked.

"For example, India, Ukraine, South Africa, and Kazakhstan may have the lowest prices for the five appliances across the 34 countries we studied, but it’s also the least affordable when compared to the average monthly wage for those countries...

"For refrigerators, it’s most affordable in Singapore, with the price at US$459.20 (S$620) versus their average monthly income at US$5,334.00. That’s 8.61 per cent of their income.

"It’s most expensive in Ukraine with a price of US$562.71 and a US$343.00 income – making that 164 per cent of their average monthly wages."

For washing machines, they are the 10th least expensive and the second most affordable in Singapore.

For microwaves, they are the 17th least expensive and the sixth most affordable in Singapore.