Do you like Cokes? Are you team Coca-Cola or team Pepsi? I used to love drinking Coke, but since moving to the United States, I found that my love for this sweet, refreshing carbonated drink is decreasing.

I would constantly doing calculations whenever I'm buying small things. My brain would automatically convert what's on the price tag to the currency I use at home (CNY). When I stop at a vending machine, I'd start contemplating if I should fight my craving for my favorite soda for how much they cost here... Isn't it insane that a bottle of coke here in the United States costs 2.5 dollars? I can get five bottles of coke back home, even bigger sizes, with the same amount, as they usually cost 3 yuan (0.5 dollar) in China.

So naturally, I complained to my mom about how everything is more expensive here in the States, which quickly escalated into an existential crisis: if I want to live in the U.S. after I graduate from grad school, if I can make enough money and survive off that once I leave school, whether I made the right choice going into journalism because we are paid so little...

But my mom has her way of comforting me. "Once you start getting your paychecks, you'd stop complaining about soda prices. What you got paid for your part-time on campus job–is the equivalent of how much I get paid, after working for 30 years!"

And that's global inequality right there! Said the little voice in my head.

Though my mom's consolation did not stop me from meticulously doing math before picking up a drink from the shelf, I started wondering if the affordability of these small things we enjoy in life, like a bottle of soda, could reflect the income level and affordability around the world.

Though the United States is home to the world’s most beloved beverage, it is not the most affordable country to buy Coke.

However, if you are a Coke lover and live in the Middle East, chances are you are in luck. Cokes are most affordable in Kuwait, Qatar and a few adjacent neighbors, whose oil production per capita also ranks the highest in the world. Although these countries are not the highest earning countries in the world, Cokes are sold at a fairly cheaper price below world average.

So how are the highest earning countries doing? While the Swiss earn the most in a day, Coke prices are also the highest in Switzerland; which puts the country on the 23rd for Coke affordability. Overall, Cokes are fairly expensive in Europe, especially wealthier West European countries, which makes them less affordable when compared to some Asian countries: where Cokes are cheaper even though people get paid less. The least affordable place to get Cokes are Africa and South America, as people there generally make the least among world countries.

Using the affordability of Coke as the measure of the global economy seems relatively accurate when looking at countries with lower income levels. But the measurement becomes a bit off when it comes to higher earning countries in North America and Europe.

What exactly is wrong with our Coke index? Let’s look into the factors affecting the price and cost of Coca-cola, for instance. The cost of one bottle of coke, before they are distributed to stores and restaurants for sale, includes manufacturing, bottling, transportation, etc. Coca-cola handles the manufacturing of Coke concentrates on its own, as well as the bottling and distribution in some markets. They also partner with about 225 bottling companies worldwide.

The presence of a local bottler could potentially increase the affordability of Coke. For instance, Cokes are generally more affordable in Western European countries where there are local bottlers compared to those without. Other factors deciding soda prices are taxes and demand. Places where demand for Coke is low often has a lower supply of Coke, and the price will hence rise due to low supply.

Extra fun fact about soda consumption:

It's (almost) impossible that anyone would actually go spend all they make in a day to hoard soda... So here's the real question: how much soda do people drink?

If we pour the amount of soda Americans consume in a year into Olympic-sized swimming pools... Over 19,200 pools will be filled, which will take up 5930 acres of land.

If we turn the entire Manhattan island to a 2-meter deep swimming pool, the amount of soda will fill the area ranged from the North end of Central park (110th St) all the way to 20th St in Chelsea!

Learn more about the data analysis in this story.