Frequently asked questions
Short, honest answers.
What is WhatCanIBuyThere?
WhatCanIBuyThere lets you explore purchasing power. You enter a budget and we show what it could buy in two countries, based on real local prices.
Where do the prices come from?
From public shop pages, which we read by hand on the date shown on each page. We never use a search-engine snippet as a price. Data & methodology has the full rules.
Why don't you show shop or brand names?
WhatCanIBuyThere is about what a budget buys, not which shop sells it. You'll see everyday products like "milk, 1 L". We keep our sources in our records so prices can be traced and refreshed.
Which countries and products do you cover?
Today we have real prices for Istanbul (Türkiye), Bangkok (Thailand) and Dubai (UAE): everyday groceries, personal care and cleaning, and a smaller set of clothing, home and electronics items. Coverage varies by country and product. Other countries and categories aren't covered yet.
Why is a product missing from my comparison?
Either we have no usable price for it in one of the countries, or we can't match it fairly. We never estimate a missing price.
What do "Exact match" and "Comparable" mean?
Exact match means the same product and pack size in both countries. Comparable means the same kind of product with different brands or pack sizes. Staples that vary by country, like jasmine and basmati rice, are never treated as the same.
Which exchange rates do you use?
The European Central Bank's daily reference rates, saved as dated snapshots. The date is shown on every comparison.
How do you convert dirhams?
The dirham isn't in the ECB file, so we use the Central Bank of the UAE's published rate of 3.6725 per US dollar. It's a reference rate, not the rate a bank or exchange office would give you.
How do you convert lari and dong?
Neither is in the ECB file. The lari uses the National Bank of Georgia's official euro rate; the dong uses Vietcombank's euro transfer rate, a commercial bank's rate.
Does WhatCanIBuyThere tell me how long my money will last, or how many people it feeds?
No. We don't assume a household size or a time period. Quantities show what a budget could buy in standard steps. They're not a plan for what you'll consume.
Do you store my budget?
No. We don't store the budget you type on a server. It lives in your browser and in the address of your comparison page. If you have an account and save a comparison, that comparison is stored with your account. See the privacy policy for details.
How do I report a wrong price?
Write to us through the Contact page and include the link to the comparison you were looking at.