PS5 costs over half of Spain's minimum wage

PS5 at €610 eats up more than half of Spain's minimum wage, according to a forum calculation

How long does someone earning Spain's Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (SMI) have to work to buy a video game console? According to calculations circulating in online discussions, the cost exceeds 50% of a monthly salary. A PlayStation 5 bundle with a game hovers around €610, a figure that in 1990s Spain would have been less than half of the most common wage at the time. Compared to the Mega Drive, which cost 30,000 pesetas when typical salaries were around 100,000, the percentage was 30-35%. Today, using the SMI as a benchmark, the proportion skyrockets.

This data isn't just an anecdote for enthusiasts. It is a thermometer of the loss of purchasing power affecting mass consumer goods. The console is no longer a luxury for the rich: it is the quintessential mass-market toy, and its current price makes it a luxury item for those living on minimum wage.

The PS5 price versus the minimum wage

The comparison between the console's price and the SMI is the core of the discontent. A bundle with one game — Fortnite, according to some posts — sits at €610. Another version with two games has been seen for €436. Some recall buying it for €349 during specific sales, while others note the official price is around €489. The range is wide, but even the lowest end, €349, represents a third of the SMI.

The discussion quickly turns to historical comparisons. In 1995, the original PlayStation cost 60,000 pesetas. Adjusted for inflation, that figure would be equivalent to about €750, according to some cross-referenced calculations. However, a factory worker's salary was 80,000 pesetas, and the most frequent gross salary in Spain that year reached 180,000 pesetas, according to the messages. Sony's console therefore represented a third of the most common salary, not half. The NeoGeo, the arcade dream, cost 80,000 pesetas, less than 50% of the typical wage. It was expensive, yes, but not as much as the PS5 today.

The inflation argument doesn't hold up. Cumulative inflation explains part of the price increase, but not all. If the most frequent salary in 1995 was 180,000 pesetas (about €1,080 at exchange rates) and the console cost 60,000 (€360), the effort was 33%. Today, with an SMI hovering around €1,100, paying €610 for the console represents 55%. The proportion has inverted.

Post-launch price drops: a lost strategy

One of the most repeated points is that consoles no longer drop in price as they used to. The original PlayStation went from 60,000 to 27,000 pesetas in a couple of years. The GameCube started at €249 and could be found for €99 in less than two years. The PS5, however, has been on the market for five years and still costs practically the same. This price rigidity breaks the logic of the tech product lifecycle, which usually became cheaper over time.

The suggested explanation is speculation. Component shortages, pent-up demand, and Sony's pricing policy have kept prices artificially high, according to some messages. Some recall that the console sold second-hand for €850. This premium isn't an isolated phenomenon: it is the consequence of a market where supply is controlled and demand keeps growing, according to this reading.

Leisure as a necessity: the debate on essentials

The discussion shifts to more philosophical ground: Is leisure an essential good? Some participants argue that a console isn't necessary for survival, and those who can't afford it have alternatives. Others respond that leisure is a human need, and reducing the debate to "it's not essential" is the same argument used to cut rights and material conditions. Comparisons with other non-essential goods — cars, meat, fish, daily showers — show that the line between essential and dispensable is blurry and often self-serving.

The backdrop is the loss of purchasing power among the lowest wages. It's not just that the console is expensive: it's that the minimum wage doesn't allow access to the same goods as thirty years ago. The conversation drifts toward politics, globalization, and Agenda 2030, but the core is economic: wages aren't keeping up.

Alternatives and second-hand markets

In contrast to the PS5's price, it's noted that there are more digital leisure options now than ever. PC games, emulators, previous-generation consoles, mobile titles, streaming, and a very active second-hand market. In the 90s, alternatives were limited to retail stores. This variety should offset the latest generation's higher cost, but it doesn't change the fact that the flagship family leisure product has become inaccessible to a portion of the population.

The conclusion, if there is one, is that the PS5's price isn't a problem with the console itself, but with the surrounding wages. With these differentials, buying a new-generation console should be a luxury reserved for a few. And it is. What doesn't add up is that it continues to be presented as a mass-market product.