How to Change Your Netflix Region to Pay Less

How to Change Your Netflix Region to Pay Less

You're paying $15.49/month (about £12.30 / €14.30) for Netflix. Your friend in a different country is paying the equivalent of $7. Same service. Same shows. Just a different billing address. That's not a conspiracy theory — it's just how Netflix prices its plans, and the difference can be significant depending on where you live.

So the question a lot of people ask is: can you actually change your Netflix region to get a cheaper price? The honest answer is: technically yes, but there are real trade-offs and risks you need to understand before you try it.

Why Netflix Charges Different Prices in Different Countries

Netflix uses what's called regional pricing — the idea being that people in lower-income countries shouldn't be priced out of the service. A plan in Turkey, India, or Argentina costs a fraction of what you'd pay in the US, UK, or Australia. Netflix adjusts for local purchasing power and competition in each market.

The catch? Netflix ties your pricing to your billing country. And it uses your IP address, among other signals, to figure out where you are. That's where a VPN comes in.

What's Actually Happening When You Use a VPN for This

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) routes your internet connection through a server in another country, masking your real location. To Netflix, you look like you're browsing from wherever that server is.

If you connect to a server in Argentina before signing up for a new Netflix account, Netflix sees an Argentinian IP address and may offer you Argentinian pricing. The key word there is "may" — Netflix has gotten better at detecting VPNs, and this doesn't always work cleanly.

And yes, we need to say this clearly: using a VPN to access a different Netflix region or get cheaper pricing violates Netflix's Terms of Service. It's not illegal in most countries, but it's against the rules Netflix sets for its service. Netflix can suspend or terminate accounts it identifies doing this. That's rare, but it happens. You're making an informed choice here, not a guaranteed hack.

The VPN We'd Actually Recommend: NordVPN

We've tested a lot of VPNs for Netflix access, and NordVPN is what we'd point you to first. Here's why: it maintains a large, regularly-refreshed pool of IP addresses that Netflix hasn't blocked yet, it has servers in the regions where prices are lowest (including Turkey, Argentina, and India), and it's fast enough that you won't notice much difference in streaming quality.

NordVPN costs around $3.99/month (about £3.15 / €3.68) on a two-year plan. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is genuinely useful if this doesn't work out for you.

If NordVPN doesn't suit you, Surfshark is a solid second choice — it's slightly cheaper and also has strong Netflix unblocking. ExpressVPN works well too, though it's more expensive and harder to justify just for this use case.

What about free VPNs? Skip them. Free VPNs almost universally get blocked by Netflix almost immediately because they use shared, easily-identified IP addresses. They're also slower, have data caps, and several have been caught logging and selling user data. For something you're going to use regularly, a paid VPN is the only option that actually works.

Step-by-Step: How to Do This on Each Device

On Desktop (Windows or Mac)

1. Sign up for NordVPN at nordvpn.com and download the app for your operating system.
2. Open NordVPN and connect to a server in your target country — Argentina and Turkey tend to have the lowest Netflix prices as of writing.
3. Once connected, open a private/incognito browser window. This is important — it stops your browser using cached location data.
4. Go to netflix.com. If you're creating a new account, you should see pricing in the local currency of the country you've connected to.
5. Complete sign-up using a payment method that works internationally — a virtual card or PayPal often works better here than a domestic credit card.

If you already have a Netflix account and want to switch its billing region, that's harder. Netflix ties billing to your payment method's country in many cases, so simply logging in from a VPN won't change your existing plan price.

On iPhone or iPad (iOS)

1. Download the NordVPN app from the App Store and log in.
2. Tap the search icon and type in the country you want to connect to, then tap "Connect."
3. Once the VPN is active, you'll see the VPN icon in your status bar.
4. Open Safari (not Chrome — it sometimes ignores VPN routing) in private mode and go to netflix.com.
5. Proceed with account creation as you would on desktop.

One thing to watch on iOS: if you're trying to pay through the App Store, the App Store itself has its own regional pricing system. You may need to change your Apple ID region separately, which adds another layer of complexity.

On Android

1. Install NordVPN from the Google Play Store and sign in.
2. Select your target country from the country list and connect.
3. Open Chrome in incognito mode and navigate to netflix.com.
4. Create your account and pay through the website rather than through Google Play if possible — it gives you more control over the currency and payment method.

On a Smart TV

Smart TVs are trickier because most don't support VPN apps directly. Your best options are:

• Router-level VPN: Set up NordVPN on your home router. Every device on your network, including your TV, will then route through the VPN. NordVPN has setup guides for most major router brands on their website.
• Smart DNS: NordVPN includes a SmartDNS feature that works on Smart TVs without needing a full VPN app. It's slightly easier to set up but gives you less flexibility.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

Netflix is still showing your home country's pricing. Clear your browser cookies completely and reconnect to the VPN before trying again. Or switch to a different server in the same country — the IP you're using might already be flagged.

Netflix is showing an error or proxy detected message. This is Netflix's VPN-blocking at work. Try a different server within NordVPN (they have multiple servers per country). If it's persistent, contact NordVPN's support — they're generally good at identifying which servers are currently working for Netflix.

Your payment is being declined. Your bank or card provider may be blocking an international transaction. Try a virtual card service like Revolut or a PayPal account, which tend to work more smoothly across borders.

The price jumped after a few months. Netflix sometimes catches up with accounts that registered in lower-price regions and moves them to a different billing tier. This isn't guaranteed to happen, but it's a known risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it illegal to use a VPN to change your Netflix region?

In most countries, using a VPN itself is completely legal. What you're potentially violating is Netflix's Terms of Service — which is a contractual issue, not a criminal one. Netflix can ban your account, but you're not going to get in legal trouble for it in the US, UK, EU, or Australia.

Which country has the cheapest Netflix prices?

As of 2024, Turkey and Argentina have consistently had some of the lowest Netflix prices — sometimes under $3/month (around £2.40 / €2.75) equivalent. India and Pakistan are also low. These change with currency fluctuations and Netflix's own adjustments, so it's worth checking a current regional pricing comparison before you commit.

Can I keep my existing Netflix account and just pay less?

This is the hard part. Changing the price on an existing account usually isn't possible just by using a VPN — your billing is linked to your original payment method and region. Some people create a new account via VPN and cancel their old one. Others have had luck contacting Netflix support and asking to switch regions, though that's not a guaranteed path.

Will my Netflix content library change if I switch regions?

Yes, and this is the real trade-off. Netflix's library varies by country due to licensing agreements. If you register in Argentina, you'll technically be on the Argentine Netflix, which has a different — and often smaller — content catalogue than the US or UK version. You can still use a VPN to switch regions for watching, but your account "home" region will affect what's available by default.

Does NordVPN's money-back guarantee actually work?

Yes, genuinely. If you subscribe, try this, and it doesn't work out — or you just decide it's not worth it — you can get a full refund within 30 days. No hoops. We've tested it. Just contact their support chat.

What if Netflix bans my account?

It happens, but it's not common. Usually Netflix just moves accounts to higher-priced tiers rather than outright banning them. If your account does get suspended, you'd need to create a new one. Keep this in mind if you have years of viewing history and lists you'd rather not lose — it might change your calculation.

Our Honest Take

This works. But it's not a fire-and-forget solution. Netflix is continuously improving its ability to detect VPN usage, and the pricing loophole has gotten narrower over the past couple of years. What worked perfectly in 2021 requires more maintenance now.

If you're someone who just wants to set it up once and forget about it, the frustration might outweigh the savings. But if you're comfortable with a little occasional troubleshooting — reconnecting to a different server, clearing a cookie — the savings can genuinely add up to $100+ per year (around £80 / €93), which is real money.

Use NordVPN, connect to Turkey or Argentina, use incognito mode, and pay with a flexible international payment method. That's the stack that gives you the best chance of it actually working.