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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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SHGator428
Joined: 05 Sep 2014
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 Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:21 am Post subject: |
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| KimchiNinja wrote: |
| SHGator428 wrote: |
| KimchiNinja wrote: |
| SHGator428 wrote: |
Weird that your post that I referred to changed. You a mod?
Either way; haven't done anything you claim to have done? |
LOL, no my post has not changed. Perhaps your reading abilities?
Response still seems invalid, since I did not "claim to have done" anything. |
You got me...congrats.
Response is valid nevertheless. |
LOL, umm okay. I admit that I did not do the things which I did not claim to have done.  |
I see. I did. We, as a team of professionals, got legitimate results for comparisons. |
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Sister Ray
Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Location: Fukuoka
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| Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:27 am Post subject: |
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| Brooks wrote: |
Yup, Japan is getting worse.
It is expensive
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Have you actually lived in Japan? The Japan=Super Expensive trope is really out of date. It is cheap to live here. Even with he 3% rise in consumption tax earlier this year prices are essentially the same as they were when I first visited in 2001 when it was actually super expensive.
If you're going to teach at an English kindergarten or something you may well get a really low wage but the cost of living is not particularly high. My expenses this year are considerably less than 2013 when I was in Seoul. |
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KimchiNinja
Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam
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| Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:36 am Post subject: |
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| Sister Ray wrote: |
| Brooks wrote: |
Yup, Japan is getting worse.
It is expensive
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Have you actually lived in Japan? |
How do you rank quality of life there vs Seoul in other ways, besides expenses? Foreign friendliness, number of foreigners, food, weather, etc... |
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Sister Ray
Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Location: Fukuoka
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| Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 1:13 am Post subject: |
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General quality of life, I'd give the nod to Fukuoka. I really like Japan's cycling culture. I can go most places in Fukuoka on my bike. Rarely need to squeeze into a crowded train.
Air quality is better too (obviously, Fukuoka being much smaller.)
Food - being vegetarian both Korean and Japanese cuisine are of little interest to me. So, just on foreign food (usually Indian, Thai, Mexican) Seoul is better than Fukuoka. Again, much bigger city.
Foreigner numbers/friendliness - I lived in Jongno last year. Loads of expats everywhere. Fukuoka has less but still a good sized population, though. Friendliness? Well, seems about the same. Find some guys/girls with common interests and you'll be fine.
Weather - Summer - Fukuoka's worse, Winter - Seoul's worse. Spring/Autumn - both are great.
I could happily live in either city but Fukuoka's compact size and better amenity for pedestrians/cyclists give it the edge for me.
Busan/Fukuoka might be a fairer comparison though. Closer in size, both coastal. |
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FriendlyDaegu
Joined: 26 Aug 2012
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| Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2014 5:36 am Post subject: |
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| Sister Ray wrote: |
| Brooks wrote: |
Yup, Japan is getting worse.
It is expensive
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Have you actually lived in Japan? |
Do they still charge for broadcast TV? |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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| But you pay your own rent in Japan or part of it (subsidized) versus free rent in Korea? Also, aren't the local taxes and such more than Korea? I would imagine Fukuoka being much cheaper than Tokyo for rents though. But, what kind of apartments could you get there and what kind of money could you save there? Also, is there any English there? |
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Sister Ray
Joined: 25 Mar 2006
Location: Fukuoka
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, I pay my own rent in Japan. but, I also paid my own rent in Seoul (with accom. supplement, though.)
I was earning more in Seoul but in Japan I am free to work as much or little as I like. Not being particularly money-driven and having another income stream in my home country, I choose to work about 20 hrs p/w in Japan. This covers all my expenses and leaves about US$1k for whatever.
Of course Tokyo rent is much higher than Fukuoka. But, my central point was that the cost of living in Japan is no longer astronomical. Whereas costs in Korea are far higher than they once were. Seoul and Tokyo would not be too dissimilar in costs now, I'd say.
English is better in South Korea, definitely. But Japanese is much easier to speak. Bitch to read, though. |
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KimchiNinja
Joined: 01 May 2012
Location: Gangnam
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Japanese chicks are kinda weirdos though? They seem a bit 4th dimension... |
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jvalmer
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Sister Ray wrote: |
| Have you actually lived in Japan? The Japan=Super Expensive trope is really out of date. It is cheap to live here. |
So true. I remember in the 90's people coming back from trips to Japan saying it was expensive. They'd always says something like a bottle of coke was like $2. Low and behold, these days in Canada a bottle of coke is over $2 now. But in Japan, it's still around that $2 dollar mark, some 20 years later.
Which means, Japan has had minimal inflation in 20 years, while the rest of the industrialized world has 'caught up' to Japanese prices.
Last time I was there, 2 years ago, I didn't find the prices expensive. It was pretty much on par with anything in Canada. |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, when I was in Japan a couple years ago, I was pleasantly surprised how affordable it was. Even Tokyo wasn't that bad for a global city. More affordable than London for a traveler, and seemed about on par with NYC and SF. No idea about rent though obviously... |
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bucheon bum
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| basic69isokay wrote: |
What you get for the cost is what really sets America apart.
A giant two story house with a yard for 200k (excluding sf,la,nyc,etc). A huge gallon jug of milk for 3$. 3.8l of gas for 4$. I mean, to most of the world, these are obscene quantities. In most parts of America, you get A LOT for your money. A Korean guy recently told me he couldn't believe how cheap beef was, so his family ate galbi jjim for every meal. Same goes for jewelry, clothes, shoes, almost everything. If You're "making it" in america, there's no better place. |
Of course many of us wouldn't want to live anywhere where a large house costs $200K....
But yes, meat, processed foods, clothes, and electronics are cheap here. Many foreign visitors bring empty suitcases just to fill up with clothes and electronics to take back to their home country.
Some of that cheap food leaves a lot to be desired though. Produce, depends where in the States you are and what time of year. Kinda sucks here on the East Coast, but dirt cheap and generally good in California... |
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basic69isokay
Joined: 28 Sep 2014
Location: korea
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| bucheon bum wrote: |
| basic69isokay wrote: |
What you get for the cost is what really sets America apart.
A giant two story house with a yard for 200k (excluding sf,la,nyc,etc). A huge gallon jug of milk for 3$. 3.8l of gas for 4$. I mean, to most of the world, these are obscene quantities. In most parts of America, you get A LOT for your money. A Korean guy recently told me he couldn't believe how cheap beef was, so his family ate galbi jjim for every meal. Same goes for jewelry, clothes, shoes, almost everything. If You're "making it" in america, there's no better place. |
Of course many of us wouldn't want to live anywhere where a large house costs $200K....
But yes, meat, processed foods, clothes, and electronics are cheap here. Many foreign visitors bring empty suitcases just to fill up with clothes and electronics to take back to their home country.
Some of that cheap food leaves a lot to be desired though. Produce, depends where in the States you are and what time of year. Kinda sucks here on the East Coast, but dirt cheap and generally good in California... |
Why not?? That's like 95% of the country. The only places where 200k wont buy you something decent is like 5-7 big cities (boston, DC, NY,LA,SD,SEATTLE) Even then, you could just live on the outskirts. Point is, America's PPP is off the charts compared to Korea. No 6$ mangos or 300k dorm rooms. |
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wooden nickels
Joined: 23 May 2010
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| basic69isokay wrote: |
| bucheon bum wrote: |
| basic69isokay wrote: |
What you get for the cost is what really sets America apart.
A giant two story house with a yard for 200k (excluding sf,la,nyc,etc). A huge gallon jug of milk for 3$. 3.8l of gas for 4$. I mean, to most of the world, these are obscene quantities. In most parts of America, you get A LOT for your money. A Korean guy recently told me he couldn't believe how cheap beef was, so his family ate galbi jjim for every meal. Same goes for jewelry, clothes, shoes, almost everything. If You're "making it" in america, there's no better place. |
Of course many of us wouldn't want to live anywhere where a large house costs $200K....
But yes, meat, processed foods, clothes, and electronics are cheap here. Many foreign visitors bring empty suitcases just to fill up with clothes and electronics to take back to their home country.
Some of that cheap food leaves a lot to be desired though. Produce, depends where in the States you are and what time of year. Kinda sucks here on the East Coast, but dirt cheap and generally good in California... |
Why not?? That's like 95% of the country. The only places where 200k wont buy you something decent is like 5-7 big cities (boston, DC, NY,LA,SD,SEATTLE) Even then, you could just live on the outskirts. Point is, America's PPP is off the charts compared to Korea. No 6$ mangos or 300k dorm rooms. |
I sold my home for a little under 200k in a somewhat upscale neighborhood 11 years ago. Brick, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, double garage, patio, nice lawn, etc. It would probably sell for about 200k now. Korea is way overpriced, in my opinion. |
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bmaw01
Joined: 13 May 2013
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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| basic69isokay wrote: |
What you get for the cost is what really sets America apart.
A giant two story house with a yard for 200k (excluding sf,la,nyc,etc). A huge gallon jug of milk for 3$. 3.8l of gas for 4$. I mean, to most of the world, these are obscene quantities. In most parts of America, you get A LOT for your money. A Korean guy recently told me he couldn't believe how cheap beef was, so his family ate galbi jjim for every meal. Same goes for jewelry, clothes, shoes, almost everything. If You're "making it" in america, there's no better place. |
It depends on what part of America you're living in. I'm from NJ and it's one of the most expensive states to live.
Average property tax is $7,000
A house typically cost $350,000
Add in a car, insurance, food, heat, kids, etc... It's expensive. Someone making $50,000 a year would have a hard time with a family. This is why both parents work. |
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bmaw01
Joined: 13 May 2013
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| Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2014 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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| basic69isokay wrote: |
| bucheon bum wrote: |
| basic69isokay wrote: |
What you get for the cost is what really sets America apart.
A giant two story house with a yard for 200k (excluding sf,la,nyc,etc). A huge gallon jug of milk for 3$. 3.8l of gas for 4$. I mean, to most of the world, these are obscene quantities. In most parts of America, you get A LOT for your money. A Korean guy recently told me he couldn't believe how cheap beef was, so his family ate galbi jjim for every meal. Same goes for jewelry, clothes, shoes, almost everything. If You're "making it" in america, there's no better place. |
Of course many of us wouldn't want to live anywhere where a large house costs $200K....
But yes, meat, processed foods, clothes, and electronics are cheap here. Many foreign visitors bring empty suitcases just to fill up with clothes and electronics to take back to their home country.
Some of that cheap food leaves a lot to be desired though. Produce, depends where in the States you are and what time of year. Kinda sucks here on the East Coast, but dirt cheap and generally good in California... |
Why not?? That's like 95% of the country. The only places where 200k wont buy you something decent is like 5-7 big cities (boston, DC, NY,LA,SD,SEATTLE) Even then, you could just live on the outskirts. Point is, America's PPP is off the charts compared to Korea. No 6$ mangos or 300k dorm rooms. |
America is also 100 times the size of South Korea. The reason housing is expensive in Korea is because they have a lot of people packed on a small continent. |
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