Polish prices have VAT added in. US prices add sales tax on top of the listed price. So when you pay 91,99zł for a $19.99 game, that extra $5 is going to your government, just like the amount that gets added on top of the $19.99 would be in America.

Then explain why 95% of the time I have to pay more than prices in EUR, even though on average we make *way* less per person than the more developed western european countries?

Originally posted by pnk:

Then explain why 95% of the time I have to pay more than prices in EUR, even though on average we make *way* less per person than the more developed western european countries?

Because prices for Euros have to be applied to all countries that use the Euro. So you're getting prices that make the game sell in Poland, and everyone else in Europe is getting prices for every country in Europe. Not the most wealthy ones. All of them.

Valve could, of course, raise the suggested prices in Euros...

lol

Originally posted by pnk:

Then explain why 95% of the time I have to pay more than prices in EUR, even though on average we make *way* less per person than the more developed western european countries?

The biggest issue was the last time that steam updated their pricing suggestions for game companies to use if they wanted the Polish currency was at an all time low value in October 2022 and since then it has recovered however the suggestions have never been updated since then.

A lot of game companies use this instead of updating the prices on their end since they can manually do this and many companies have been informed of the Polish currency issues and changed their prices to adjust to a fair price.

Originally posted by pnk:

Then explain why 95% of the time I have to pay more than prices in EUR, even though on average we make *way* less per person than the more developed western european countries?

I live in Portugal and pay the same for games as Germans do... and minimum wage is 2.5x bigger in Germany, not to mention average wages that have a bigger gap. I'm literally paying 2 or 3 times more (out of pocket) for a game than the average German.. It is what it is. The issue is not steam.. it's the countries.
And again, there is no obligation to have regional pricing at all. Steam could very well sell the games at the same price worldwide, just in the respective currency. The game doesn't become cheaper to make if you are selling in Poland, Argentina or Timbuktu.
Not many companies do regional pricing like steam does anyway. You don't see iPhones cheaper in sub developed countries. In fact, those countries often have quite a markup, mostly due to limited supply and import fees and taxes. An iPhone in Brazil costs about double what it costs in Japan or the US. While steam games are cheaper in Brazil due to regional pricing.
It's never going to be a perfect system. There are many considerations and different options on how to do it. There are constant geo political and economic changes that also affect it. Still, it's better than just stick a price in USD and let the exchange rates work. It would kill certain markets for sure while also increasing piracy.