Star Wars is a galaxy of Rebels and Empire, Resistance and First Order, Jedi and Sith. It costs credits, however, to wage these battles, or even just to live and fly around.
How much do things cost in Star Wars? Many items, like large ships, are extremely expensive. Yet, other goods such as food seem more on par with Earth prices.
The costs of Star Wars are wide and assessing their relative cost can take several vantage points.
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Costs and Credits in Star Wars
To understand how much things cost in Star Wars, it would be helpful to gain a sense of the worth or value of credits in Star Wars in relation to US dollars.
Fans have indicated a 1 to 4 ratio for credit to dollars, meaning 1 credit in Star Wars is roughly equivalent to 4 US dollars (with some fluctuation).
One example that goes with this estimate specifies that since a TIE fighter costs around 60,000 credits, it would cost about $240,000.
Another estimate, however, indicates that the exchange rate between galactic credits and US dollars is 1 to 1.52. Hence, the values of the currency are more closely aligned.
This method compared food prices at Dex’s Diner on Coruscant in Star Wars with a diner in Queens, New York, here on Earth. The above video compared costs for such items as milk, steak and eggs, and potato wedges.
We can use such calculations to get a sense of the cost of living in Star Wars.
Cost of Living in Star Wars
Using the above estimates for diner food, we could say that milk costs 1.50 credits (versus $2.75), steak and eggs 12.50 credits ($18.45), and potato wedges 3.50 credits ($4.25).
With this restaurant example, we arrive at a similar cost for eating out. Living in the Star Wars galaxy could run up a higher bill, though, if we look at other items.
If someone is traveling, transportation with steerage accommodations costs 500 credits for five days, while upscale goes up to 2,000 (luxurious goes up to 5,000).
If we use a 1 to 1.5 credit-to-dollars ratio to compare with air travel here, that would mean a $750 main cabin airfare and $3,000 for business or perhaps first-class seats. That starts to get expensive.
The average lodging rate in Star Wars is about 50 credits per day, or about $75, so that’s a similar cost.
Medical care is higher. To get a Bacta Tank for one hour costs 300 credits. Although for long-term care the price is leveraged to 300 credits, or $450, per day.
Yet, there was a jump in inflation from the Republic to Imperial periods, estimated to be around ten percent. So, prices would have gone up under the Empire.
Hence, the cost of living for travel and medical care, among other things, during an already oppressive period would have been harder to bear than in our world.
Then again, we are also seeing increases in inflation that have made day-to-day living more of a challenge.
How Much Do Star Destroyers and Death Stars Cost in Credits?
If we look into grand items like Star Destroyers and Death Stars, the costs become enormous.
The Imperial I-class Star Destroyer costs a gigantic sum of 150,000,000 credits. This is the main destroyer of the Empire. So, Dreadnought-size destroyers, like the First Order’s Mega-class Star Destroyer, would cost even more.
The first Death Star comes in at the astounding cost of over 1 trillion credits. It was the first planet-destroying weapon in Star Wars, so we may expect that cost, but it still reflects an enormous expense for the Empire.
Death Star II is also listed at the same price level. Yet, it seems that it would have been more expensive.
The second Death Star had such improvements as a superlaser that could blast Rebel ships and millions of heat-dispersion tubes (instead of that thermal exhaust port that Luke Skywalker landed a shot into).
How Much Do Star Destroyers and Death Stars Cost in Real Life?
In our world, a Star Destroyer is estimated to cost over $460 billion. That’s the base cost without any real equipment. If we add in items like turbolasers and engines, the cost goes up to about $630 billion.
The Death Stars, in comparison, are estimated to cost over $850 quadrillion each. This estimate uses a comparison to a modern warship to determine that figure.
Keeping order in the galaxy would thus cost quite a lot of US dollars.
Star Wars Ship Costs in Credits
Most people living in the Star Wars galaxy are not looking to buy a Star Destroyer. If we look into smaller, more common ships, we may arrive at lower costs.
Perhaps someone would like to buy the Millenium Falcon or the ship from which it was derived.
The Falcon is a modified version of the YT-1300 light freighter. If someone was interested in transporting goods, legal or illegal, this would be a good option. A new model costs 100,000 credits, while a used one goes for 25,000 credits.
This is certainly more affordable than a Death Star, but going back to conversion rates, that would amount to $150,000 for a new one. That is almost three times as much as the average price of an electric car here.
To acquire the Falcon itself with all its modifications, like a boosted hyperdrive, that would probably be at least 50,000 credits, or $75,000.
That same amount of money could get someone a new electric car on Earth, including some Tesla models.
With a used YT-1300 and the Falcon, we start to see more comparable costs. However, comparing ships and cars may not be the right measure. Someone gets across the galaxy in a ship, not a car.
Taking a look at other ships, we get the sense that they could be seen as affordable.
For example, substantial numbers of BTL Y-wing starfighters were produced across the Republic to the New Republic. Although the new cost is around 135,000 credits, their availability pushes that cost down to perhaps less than 10,000 credits for a used one.
The same logic applies to the classic X-wing fighter, a.k.a. T-65B X-wing starfighter. This model comes in at 150,000 credits new and 65,000 used but was also mass-produced and widely available.
Hence, the cost for smaller ships could drop to a fraction of the used price.
Star Wars Ships Fuel and Maintenance Costs
Yet, what about the costs to run ships, like the use of fuel?
Some estimates that use the Millenium Falcon specify that it would cost about 3,000 credits to completely refuel this ship, but a day’s travel only costs around 50 credits.
Acquiring permits and operating licenses, however, does push the cost up even more. It costs about 1,000 credits for a ship’s operating license.
Ship maintenance also gets pricey. Keeping the Falcon up and running, for example, equates to $2.5 million each year.
Adding in such costs starts to make starships look very expensive. Yet, many people seem to be flying them in Star Wars.
How Much Do Things Cost in Star Wars?
By some measures, the costs of things in Star Wars are comparable to our world. Restaurant food prices, for example, are mostly similar.
Yet, when we look at big ships like Star Destroyers, we start to see astronomical costs. Smaller freighter ships become more realistic again, but then the costs of keeping them running push the prices higher.
As we face fuel increases on Earth, though, it may bring the two cost elements back in line.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan who has expanded into writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has written about recent shows such as The Mandalorian and Andor and classic topics like Darth Vader, the Jedi, and Boba Fett. His recent articles include the MCU’s Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Todd is the author of a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.