Beauty service prices in Vietnam are 'the cheapest in the world'

Nose job for less than $1,000, nail job for only $7 makes Vietnam the place with the cheapest beauty services out of 50 countries surveyed.

According to the ranking of Linio, an e-commerce platform in Latin America, Vietnam is the country with the cheapest beauty costs among 50 surveyed countries in the world. A nose job in Vietnam costs on average less than 1,000 USD. A pedicure costs only 7 USD. Compared to the 50 surveyed countries, this is a "soft" price, making Vietnam the place with the cheapest beauty services and products.

Following Vietnam, the remaining 4 countries in the top 5 countries with the cheapest beauty costs are India, South Africa, Thailand and Egypt. Trimming eyebrows in Egypt costs only 1.93 USD. Meanwhile, in South Africa, the most "affordable" anti-aging cream costs only 22.81 USD.

Vietnam topped the list despite retail prices rising since 2016, according to a May report by Euromonitor International. Rural consumers there have reached the point where they can afford branded products, while the vast majority of Vietnamese in general are choosing natural and organic products.

The cost of cosmetic surgery in Vietnam is still among the most "affordable" in the world.

Vietnam is also considered a potential but undeveloped market for beauty products. Cosmetics prices here are still cheap, despite the increasing imports from neighboring countries due to tightening trade relations, although the TPP is still far from being completed.

On the other hand, political instability has pushed Venezuela to the top of the list of most expensive beauty products and services. It joins Switzerland, Norway, Denmark and Finland in the top five. For example, a breast augmentation in Switzerland will cost an average of $10,434. In Norway, women will spend around $100 for a haircut. A haircut for men here costs $37.50, ranking third in the top 50.

Despite the high prices for beauty products and services, European countries are a bright market. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Switzerland are all still at the top of the 2017 World's Happiest Countries ranking, which includes 155 countries, measured by independent experts commissioned by the United Nations. Inflation in these countries is generally low and spending on beauty products and services remains strong.

To compile the rankings, Linio compiled average prices from 16 popular beauty services and products in each country. These prices include taxes but do not include shipping costs for products sold online, and are converted to US dollars at the exchange rate in May this year. For beauty services in general and cosmetic surgery in particular, Linio surveyed prices at at least three establishments for each type of service in each city.

According to VNE