Latvia
Latest Average Wage
+12.3% · 5 years
$44,709
Country Comparison
Latvia vs United States
Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.
At a Glance
Latvia
vs
United States
$44,7092025
Latest Average Wage
United States +94.5%
(vs Latvia)
$86,9772025
+12.3%2025
5-Year Wage Change
Latvia +10.2 pts
(vs United States)
+2.1%2025
+38.8%2025
10-Year Wage Change
Latvia +25.9 pts
(vs United States)
+13.0%2025
52.22024
Overall Price Level
United States +47.8 index points
(vs Latvia)
1002024
Wages are PPP-adjusted average annual wages; price levels use the United States reference of 100. Years shown are each country's latest reported observation.
How Wages Have Changed
Follow PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices across both economies.
USD PPP, constant prices · missing years shown as gaps, never interpolated
United States
Latest Average Wage
+2.1% · 5 years
$86,977
Wage Milestones
Latvia
10 Years Ago
$32,207 (2015)
Historical Peak
$44,709 (2025)
Latest Wage
$44,709 (2025)
United States
10 Years Ago
$76,999 (2015)
Historical Peak
$86,977 (2025)
Latest Wage
$86,977 (2025)
Compare Everyday Price Levels
See how eight consumer price categories compare with the United States reference value of 100.
United States = 100 · Differences shown in index points
Latvia (LVA)United States (USA)
Overall
−47.8 index points
100
52.2vs100
Food
−9.8 index points
100
90.2vs100
Clothing
−7.5 index points
100
92.5vs100
Housing
−68.9 index points
100
31.1vs100
Health
−69.0 index points
100
31vs100
Transport
−13.6 index points
100
86.4vs100
Recreation
−29.1 index points
100
70.9vs100
Restaurants & Accommodation
−24.6 index points
100
75.4vs100
What Stands Out
01
Latest Wage Gap
United States' latest average wage is $86,977 for 2025, about 94.5% higher than Latvia's $44,709 for 2025 — a relative difference calculated from the two reported values. That is roughly $42,268 a year on the same PPP basis.
02
Stronger Recent Trend
On the latest one-year change, Latvia shows the stronger movement at +3.3%, against +1.7% for United States. The five-year horizon keeps the same ordering: +12.3% against +2.1%. Both percentages are real, PPP-adjusted changes from the reported wage series.
03
Largest Price Gap
Health shows the widest price gap of the comparable categories in 2024: 31 for Latvia against 100 for United States. Measured on the US=100 scale, the two readings for this category are 69.0 index points apart, United States above Latvia. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.
04
Closest Price Category
The closest category is Clothing: Latvia reads 92.5 and United States 100 for 2024, just 7.5 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Food at 9.8 index points apart. Closeness here describes the index readings only, not the baskets behind them.
Understanding the Comparison
Wage Position
Few pairings separate this cleanly — United States' latest average wage of $86,977 for 2025 stands well above Latvia's $44,709 for 2025. The higher figure exceeds the lower one by 94.5% in relative terms — a percentage calculated from the two reported values — or roughly $42,268 a year. Both figures are expressed in USD PPP at constant 2025 prices, so they can be set side by side without any further conversion. For scale, neither series has moved by that much within any single reported year, so the gap is structural rather than the product of one unusual observation.
Wage Direction
The five-year direction is shared here: both series rise, with different momentum on each side. Latvia sits at the highest point of its series — $44,709 in 2025 is also the historical peak, with a ten-year change of +38.8%. United States sits at the highest point of its series — $86,977 in 2025 is also the historical peak, with a ten-year change of +13.0%. The shared direction still leaves room for different speeds: +12.3% for Latvia against +2.1% for United States, so the distance between the two levels keeps shifting. All changes here are measured in real, PPP-adjusted terms, so they describe purchasing-power movement rather than nominal pay increases.
Price Profile
Latvia's overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 52.2, and United States' reads 100, each measured against the United States reference of 100. United States reads higher in 8 of the 8 comparable categories, so the price profile leans consistently to one side. The widest separation is in Health: 31 for Latvia against 100 for United States, a gap of 69.0 index points. At the other end, Clothing brings the two closest — 92.5 versus 100, a gap of just 7.5 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, Latvia reads above 100 in 0 of its 8 reported categories, and United States in 0 of its 8.
Wage and price data should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better to live in.
