Job Discussion Forums

[Sgt Killjoy]

I am interested in anyone wanting to join in a survey to find the prices of a typical basket of items in several different countries. It is a way to compare the true cost of living in a variety of countries. If anyone is interested, pm me. Once we compile the list, we can publish here, on wikipedia and several other resources.

[saint57]

I was thinking about making a similar list. Every year a list of the world's most expensive cities gets published. I have a hard time believing that Moscow is one of the world's most expensive cities. If you're an IBM exec and need to live in western luxury, then cities like Shanghai and Moscow could be extremely expensive. I'd like to contribute to a list that is specific to TEFLers. We're not looking for penthouse apartments with beautiful views. Try to make the rankings realistic.

I can help advise you for:

Pusan, South Korea
Kushan, China pop 1,000,000 near Shanghai and Suzhou
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

[tedkarma]

Ask Kent K for prices in Thailand - he has perhaps the most exhaustive list anywhere.

[lozwich]

Have you seen the one on TEFL.com? I haven't used it, but maybe its helpful?

Cheers,
Lozwich.

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

xxxx

[saint57]

Ummm, don't expect my response to be as detailed as Kent's.

[Sgt Killjoy]

I don't the list with me right now, but I will post it here in a few hours. It is a pretty simple list, but I want to make sure I include it all.

[Sgt Killjoy]

Here is the basket of expenses:

1 kilo of chicken (leg/thigh combo)
1 kilo of ground beef
1 kilo of oranges
1 kilo of tomatoes
1 kilo of potatoes
1 kilo of medium grade rice
1 standard loaf of bread
1 liter of milk
250 grams of cheese(cheapest variety)
2 liter bottle of coca cola
1 movie ticket for a recent release movie
1 typical meal in a middle class restaurant
1 Large Pepperoni Pizza at Pizza Hut or similiar Western chain
1 New Recent Release DVD (at the most typical place to buy)
1 liter of diesel
1 ride on a typical local public transit system
1 kwh of electricity
1 month rent for a typical studio/bedsit type of apartment
1 pack of Marlboro Red's
1 can of a typical local brand of beer at a store

I would prefer to have it in local currency and then do the conversion of all currencies done on the same date. I know it is quite a list, but we should be able to compare places a lot easier with this kind of list and see if that $400 a month in Mexico is really comparable with that $250 a month job in Honduras or wherever.

[Aramas]

I'm curious as you why you specify brands for some items and not for others. I don't drink Coke, franchise pizzas are usually the worst in town (and Pizza Hut is the worst of the franchise pizzas), and most countries have their own brands of tobacco that are dramatically cheaper than US brands - which usually aren't the same as in their home country anyway.

I think that specifying local products would be more informative. I really don't care if a Pizza hut pizza costs $10 if I can get a better one from an Italian restaurant for $5.

[ls650]

Perhaps instead of complaining, it might be more helpful if you posted such a list..?

[Sgt Killjoy]

Remember the list is about cost of living comparisons, not a concrete cost of living assessment. Finding comparable items is more important than finding the cheapest brands. Just like GPC's are cheaper than Marlboro in the states, there are cheaper cigs to find than Marlboro in most countries.

If you wanted a concrete cost of living assesment, finding the $5 pizza may make splash, but that $5 pizza is incomparable across markets. Imagine comparing a 25 baht meal in a Thai food shop on the side of the road with a comida corrida in a small cafe in Mexico? On the surface, it may appear that the cost of living is a lot less in Thailand, but what about the size of the meal? What about the quality? Too many variables and too difficult to make comparisons. This survey is about comparisons, I know you may not think it makes sense, but when all of the data is collected, it will make sense.

There will be mathematical modeling applied to the data as well to make a picture as well as the raw data. If interested int hat boring stuff, pm me and I will clue you in.

[moot point]

Prices in yen:

1 kilo of chicken (leg/thigh combo)
700yen

1 kilo of ground beef
1500yen
1 kilo of oranges
500yen

1 kilo of tomatoes
800yen

1 kilo of potatoes
1200yen

1 kilo of medium grade rice
200yen

1 standard loaf of bread
150yen

1 liter of milk
180yen

250 grams of cheese(cheapest variety)
250yen (processed block)

2 liter bottle of coca cola
400yen

1 movie ticket for a recent release movie
1800yen

1 typical meal in a middle class restaurant
1300yen

1 Large Pepperoni Pizza at Pizza Hut or similiar Western chain
3000yen

1 New Recent Release DVD (at the most typical place to buy)
600yen

1 liter of diesel
120yen

1 ride on a typical local public transit system
250yen

1 kwh of electricity
?? (but I know we pay roughly 7000yen per month for a family of 4)

1 month rent for a typical studio/bedsit type of apartment
70,000yen

1 pack of Marlboro Red's
300yen

1 can of a typical local brand of beer at a store
220yen

[MikeySaid]

[Aramas]

[MikeySaid]