(CNN) -- Think you have to pay a lot for a Valentine's gift this year? Spare a thought for romantics in Bangkok, Thailand, where florists charge $45 for just one rose. Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo are some of the more expensive places in which to buy red roses for Valentine's Day, according to an informal price check by CNN on Thursday. A dozen premium Dutch roses cost a whopping $487 in the Thai capital Thursday. In Hong Kong, a dozen roses cost $205, and in Tokyo, they cost $120. The price was much cheaper in China -- just $15 for a 12-stem bouquet of homegrown roses -- but buying a dozen is not the norm. In fact, there is a romantic meaning behind a whole range of numbers, giving Valentines a range of ways to profess their love.
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Bangkok, Thailand, has some of the most expensive Valentine's roses
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The cheapest were found in India and China
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Europe and the United States import many of their roses
Plus, in order to grow a single long-stemmed rose -- a @placeholder favorite -- growers have to nip off several rosebuds along the stem, reducing the total number of roses they can grow, the society said.