Silk Road Vs. Street: A Comparison Of Drug Prices On The Street And In Different Countries [Charts]

With the FBI shutdown of the underground online drug marketplace Silk Road this week, its customers will have to shop elsewhere for their fix.

Cocaine was a lot cheaper on Silk Road, according to an analysis of drug prices on the site and on the street by ThePriceGeek.

But marijuana, the most popular drug on the street and on the Silk Road, was actually more expensive on the online marketplace.

Prices varied widely depending on the location of the drug sellers. Marijuana was the most expensive in Germany, priced at 0.18 BTC/gram (bitcoins), or $25/gram, almost five times its price in the Philippines, just 0.04 BTC/gram, or $5.41/gram.

Cocaine was the most expensive in Australia -- 3.05 BTC/gram, or $426/gram -- more than twice the price in the second-most-expensive country. In the U.K., cocaine was selling for 1.5 BTC/gram, or $209/gram.

In Peru, where cocaine is the cheapest, the drug cost just 0.6 BTC/gram, or $83/gram.

Note: Bitcoin to USD conversions are based on the Oct. 2 conversion rate of $140 USD to 1 BTC, the last day Silk Road was still active.

Here are charts that compare the average price of the two drugs on the street and on Silk Road, as well as prices in different countries and purchasing behaviors: