Why Have Prostitutes' Prices Dropped?

Female sex workers' prices seem to be dropping, the Economist finds: A 12-country study of prostitute-review websites shows that an hour of sex today costs a customer about $260, whereas in 2006 it was $340. Why is that? First off, there's the financial crisis; cities affected the most, like Cleveland, have seen a particular drop in prices. Then there's migration, the magazine notes: When a city has an influx of migrant sex workers, prices drop. Supply has also probably increased as a result of the Internet, where prostitutes can advertise without revealing their identities.

What's more, with premarital sex more accepted and casual meetings more common these days, there may be fewer men seeking out prostitutes. Despite the drop in prices, however, prostitutes may not be taking such a big hit, the Economist notes. The Internet has meant less need for brothels and pimps, allowing the workers themselves to take a higher percentage of the price. What's more, some cities are still seeing 2006-level prices: Boston prostitutes, for instance, charge some $370 an hour, Boston.com notes, via the Economist, while San Francisco prostitutes charge $360 and Seattle $350. (In Hawaii, cops were only recently banned from having sex with prostitutes.)