A cost of living comaprison thread. How much do these things cost where you live?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I live in London and we are constantly told its about the most expensive place in the world to live. So I’d be interested in a comparison.

What do these things cost on average where you live (ie not on special offer, or in expensive up market varieties)

A loaf of bread

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe

Ticket to a major league sports event

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk

A pound (500g) of Rump steak

A litre of Petrol

a dozen eggs

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type)

A theatre ticket

A one bedroom falt (rental)

A three bedroom House (to buy)

is there anything that is really cheap where you are?

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?
I’ll post the london prices below

2

All these prices are approximate. :smiley:

loaf of bread ~$1.89

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe ~$3.00

Ticket to a major league sports event - Flames tickets start at about $30, I think.

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk ~$1.30 (for skim)

A pound (500g) of Rump steak - I dunno (I don’t really eat meat), but not that much. Beef is cheap here.

A litre of Petrol ~ $.75

a dozen eggs ~ $2.00

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) ~$25,000

A theatre ticket - Depends - my roommate works for an independent theatre company, so those tickets are free, but I think to buy it’s around $20 - $45 depending on which company is presenting the show.

A one bedroom falt (rental) ~ $800+

A three bedroom House (to buy) ~$$155,000 +

is there anything that is really cheap where you are? Beef.

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive? Cheese.

(And of course I love cheese and don’t really dig beef.)

I can promise that London is WAY more expensive than Calgary. When I was there I was stunned at the prices. With conversion I paid about $30 for a mushroom burger at the Slug and Lettuce! (It was a lovely burger, however - a big fat portobello mushroom.)

3

A loaf of bread

About 70p (at £1 = $1.50) $1.05

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe

Lager in a neighbourhood pub £1.20, $1.80 west end club, £2.00 $3 and upwards
Ticket to a major league sports event

Spurs football match £35.00 $52.50

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk

About 40p 60c

A pound (500g) of Rump steak

£3.00 $4.50

A litre of Petrol

80p $1.20

a dozen eggs

£1.00 $1.50

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type)

about £12,000 $18,000

A theatre ticket
West end show £20.00 $30
Off west end eg RSC £15, $22.50

A one bedroom falt (rental)
In the sunburb I live in £160pwk ($240), could be a lot more in a better area (upto £1500 ($2250 for Chelsea etc)

A three bedroom House (to buy)
My area £350,000 ($525,000). Elsewher in London, over £1m
($1.5m)

is there anything that is really cheap where you are?
Jellied eels, fresh food and vegetables

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?
Housing, Alcohol, tobacco (cigarettes £4.50 for 20) Public transport (weekly ticket for all london transport £22.80)

4

Bread loaf = $.79

Gallon of milk = 2.50. What's that? 4 liters? so .63 per liter

lb of beef = $.99 (less, depending on the cut or grade you get)

Gallon of gas = 1.79. Divided by 4 = .45 per liter

dozen eggs = $1.00

medium-sized new car = $20,000 to $30,000

3 bedroom house = $180,000 to $250,000

Anything really cheap? Fresh produce. With all the farms nearby, you can whatever you want dirt cheap. Especially if you pick it yourself. We do that with apples, peaches, blueberries, and strawberries each year. $4 or $5 for more than 5 lbs of each of the above. Could also have picked corn, potatoes, carrots, etc., but that’s no fun.

I only provided prices for the things I knew off the top of my head. And the gallon to liter conversion is tricky. Is a gallon more like only 3 liters? Only 2 seems too scant.

5

A gallon contains 3.76 liters. You can get away with using 4 as a rough approximation most of the time.

I left out a few things that I don’t buy/consume.

Loaf of bread: about $1.25

Glass of beer or 12 oz bottle: about $2-3 depending on the brand at a bar.

I buy my milk by the gallon, and it’s about $2.50, so I guess about 27 cents for a pint.

A Pound of Rump steak: I don’t usually buy this. Bottom round steak is about $3 a pound. NY Strip is about $7 a pound. Filet mignon is about $10-12 a pound.

Liter of Petrol: 1.61 a gallon where I am, so about 45 cents per liter.

Med Size new car: around $15-20,000 (A Hyundai 4-door would be around $12k, but a decent Toyota, Honda, etc will probably be between $18k and $22k.

Flats/Apartments: Very expensive here. A 900-1000 square foot 1-bedroom place goes for $800-1100 a month. Figure about $1 per square foot per month, more when you get closer to DC and closer to Metro stops and downtown areas.

A typical 3-bedroom house: $225,000-275,000, around 2500-3500 sq. feet.

Rental apartments are fairly expensive here. The Metro is also expensive (which in my mind largely accounts for low ridership, but I digress…)–it costs $3.25 each way for most cross-area trips, and 2.25 to park at the lot for the day. Total: $8.75 for the day.
Cigarettes are pretty cheap here–just about $3 for a pack of 20, premium brands. Beer is also cheap when bought at the market as opposed to the bar.

6

A loaf of bread
$1.89-$2.19

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe
$4-$7

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk
Dunno, I buy gallons they’re about $2.89 -$3.50

A pound (500g) of Rump steak
$4.89-$5.99 lb.

A litre of Petrol
$1.60-1.80(gallons again)

a dozen eggs
$1.89-$2.29

A theatre ticket
$8-$9

A one bedroom falt (rental)
$600-800 (bronx)

A three bedroom House (to buy)
See below.

Is there anything that is really cheap where you are?
Yes, air, but you get what you pay for.

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?
Real estate market is ridiculous. A handyman special in not the best part of Mt Vernon, NY USA will cost you $350K.

7

A loaf of bread - 89 cents

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe - Depends on where you go and what you get. Cheap beer, $1.50. Good beer (Guinness, Newcastle, things like that) $3.00

Ticket to a major league sports event - Well, the minor league baseball team runs between $7 and $12. I don’t know how much the soccer games are because I never get to go.

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk - $1.29

A pound (500g) of Rump steak - $1.99

A litre of Petrol - Well, a gallon of gas right now is $1.22

a dozen eggs - 99 cents

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) - $22K

A theatre ticket - $22

A one bedroom flat (rental) - Depends on the area. Downtown, $600-900. Just about anywhere else, $450-550.

A three bedroom House (to buy) - Again, area matters. Downtown, $300,000 and up. West of the Ashley - $150,000. James Island - $120,000. Mt. Pleasant - $190,000.

is there anything that is really cheap where you are? Seafood. You can go to the seafood markets around here and spend about $10-15 on a nice, big dinner for 4.

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive? Rent/housing. That flat rental above? That’s for a place that is just a tiny room with a bathroom. Parking. Insurance. (I think we’re second or third in the nation for high car insurance.)

8

A loaf of bread $1.25

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe - dunno - I don’t drink beer

Ticket to a major league sports event $30 - $200+ for Jaguars football tickets

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk I pay $2.79 for a gallon of nonfat milk

A pound (500g) of Rump steak Moderate steaks can be had for $3-$5/lb

A litre of Petrol 1.36/gallon, so about .36/liter, I think

a dozen eggs $1

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) $20,000 average

A theatre ticket $5.50 for the cheapie matinee, $8.50 prime time

A one bedroom flat (rental) $600/month is about average

A three bedroom House (to buy) $115,000 in my neighborhood, many much higher in fancier neighborhoods, as low as $50K in some raggedy neighborhoods

is there anything that is really cheap where you are? nothing in particular comes to mind

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive? nothing in particular comes to mind

9

Here along the Maine-New Hampshire border a couple hours north of Boston:

A loaf of bread-I pay $1.09 (£0.71) for a 1.5 lb. loaf (about two-thirds of a kilogram) of very tasty multi-grain bread. White bread is about half the price, but it isn’t worth eating.

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe-I haven’t drunk beer in a pub/bar/cafe in I don’t know how long. I buy good beer (Sam Adams, Pete’s Wicked, Smuttynose, etc.) at the grocery store for $5-$6.50 per six-pack of 12 oz. bottles, which works out to about $1.25 per U.S. pint or about £0.95 per Imperial pint. Bad beer (Milwaukee’s Best, anyone?) is one-third to one-half the price, but not worth drinking.

Ticket to a major league sports event-I haven’t attended a major league sporting since the Babe broke my heart behind the center-field bleachers.

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk-Who buys milk by the pint? I pay $1.99 for a U.S. gallon of low-fat milk (1% butterfat), which works out to £0.17 per half-liter. Whole milk is about 20% more expensive. Buying in small amouts (like pints) is considerably more expensive, but I have no idea how much.

A pound (500g) of Rump steak-I haven’t bought beef since Bossie broke my heart behind the milking machine.

A litre of Petrol-87-octane was $1.339 per U.S. gallon yesterday. £0.23 per liter. I love America. About 28% of that price is state and federal motor fuel tax.

a dozen eggs-Highly variable, average around $0.89 I’d guess. (£0.58)

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type)-Driving a saloon car is illegal in the U.S. We have strict drunk-driving laws.

A theatre ticket-I haven’t been to the threater since Mary Pickford broke my heart in the orchestra pit.

A one bedroom falt (rental)-I have never rented a falt, as I seem to have an unlimited supply of my own already.

A three bedroom House (to buy)-$150,000 (£98,000) with 30 acres of land.

is there anything that is really cheap where you are?-life

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive? Just try to find a reasonably priced whorehouse around here.

10

Cincinnati, OH

(Many of these will be best guesses, costs in USD)

A loaf of bread $1.19 (wheat bread in Kroger’s) $3.50 (fancy stuff at Yuppie-style bakery)

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe: $2-5 depending on location and beer type.

Ticket to a major league sports event: Professional (US) football $35-50, baseball $7-30

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk: about $2.50 for a gallon, so about $0.37 a pint. But if you buy a pint directly it might cost about $0.79.

A pound (500g) of Rump steak: $4.99???

A litre of Petrol: in gallons, it’s $1.28-1.38-1.48 today, depending on grade.

a dozen eggs: $1.39

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type): from $15-35,000, depending on brand and amenities.

A theatre ticket: about $30-50

A one bedroom falt (rental): from $350 - $700 dollars, depending on location, space and quality.

A three bedroom House (to buy): This varies wildly, but about $120,000 - $750,000, depending on neighborhood, space and quality. In my neighborhood it would be about $300,000.

is there anything that is really cheap where you are?

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?

Nothing leaps to mind as extreme in either regard.

11

Not sure where you are in DC, but a friend of mine just moved there and bought a 3 bedroom house a block from the Red line for just under $500,000. I forget the neighborhood but could find out if you like, somewhere a bit north of Adams Morgan IIRC. Square feet should be solidly in your range. Net, I think you might be a bit on the low side there.

12

A loaf of bread

Don’t really know off hand, but around $1.50

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe

Depends on the time, between $2 and $3

Ticket to a major league sports event

We have way too many but:
Baseball $15-45 (don’t know upper end anymore)
American Football starts at around $45, if you’re lucky
Soccer, don’t know but guess $15-30
Hockey, $15-50

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk

$1.75 give or take

A pound (500g) of Rump steak

$5, well the meat I buy is around that, but it’s not rump

A litre of Petrol

$0.40

a dozen eggs

$1.10

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type)

anywhere from $9000-20000, mine cost around 12

A theatre ticket

you mean movie? $8

A one bedroom falt (rental)

I’m away from the city but mine is $800.

A three bedroom House (to buy)

Ha, just a house and not a townhouse? starting at $200k, and that’s low, they go for 300 easy now around here. A townhouse can for for as low as 140 up to 400.

is there anything that is really cheap where you are?

Nothing that I can think of.

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?

The houses are crazy around here. Just two years ago I bought a house for 180, it’s now at 250, though not according to my wife’s lawyer.

These prices are for the DC area in the Maryland side, probably worse in DC.

13

San Jose, CA
(My dollar sign symbol doesn’t work, all numbers are US currency)

A loaf of bread
About 2.00

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe
3.50

Ticket to a major league sports event
About 35.00

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk
Dunno, probably about the same as most parts of the US

A pound (500g) of Rump steak
See above

A litre of Petrol
0.45

a dozen eggs
Same as most places in US

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type)
20-30 thousand

A theatre ticket
9.00(grr!)

A one bedroom falt (rental)
Around 1000.00

A three bedroom House (to buy)
400,000+

is there anything that is really cheap where you are?
No! :mad:

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?
Gasoline, electricity, rent, houses, living…

14

From Lubbock, Texas.

**A loaf of bread **- depends on the kind, but about $1.50.

**A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe **- I don’t usually drink in bars and such, but I’d estimate around $1.50-2.50, with $2 being typical.

**Ticket to a major league sports event **- No major league sports around here. heh. But, I can get excellent seats to see the local hockey team play for $16.

**A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk **- A gallon here is about $2.20, which is about 59 cents a liter. In the smaller sizes, it’ll probably be closer to 65 cents a liter.

**A pound (500g) of Rump steak **- tough one, I don’t buy beef very often. But it’s pretty cheap.

**A litre of Petrol **- Right now, about $1.40 a gallon, so about 37 cents a liter.

**a dozen eggs **- about $1.

**A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) **- Too many variables; between $10K and $20K, depending on model and options.

**A theatre ticket **- I can see plays at the university theater for $10; shows that are “passing through” are usually the same price they are anywhere else. Movies are $7.25 in the evenings, $4.25 for matinees.

**A one bedroom flat (rental) **- Here is where y’all will hate me. I’m paying $475 for a fairly spacious 1 BR in the middle of town, all bills paid.

**A three bedroom House (to buy) **- Again, y’all will hate this, but I’ve seen very nice 3BR houses on realtor shows in the $80-100,000 range. Of course, if you want a $300K house, they’re around too…

**is there anything that is really cheap where you are? **- Most things, really.

**Is there anything that’s horribly expensive? **- Mmmm, nothing comes to mind. Except that, thanks to voting Baptists, alcohol cannot be sold in package form in the city; if you want to take a six-pack home, you can’t just go down to the local 7-11, you have to drive out to the Strip on the county line, where there are liquor stores galore.

15

From Lubbock, Texas.

**A loaf of bread **- depends on the kind, but about $1.50.

**A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe **- I don’t usually drink in bars and such, but I’d estimate around $1.50-2.50, with $2 being typical.

**Ticket to a major league sports event **- No major league sports around here. heh. But, I can get excellent seats to see the local hockey team play for $16.

**A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk **- A gallon here is about $2.20, which is about 59 cents a liter. In the smaller sizes, it’ll probably be closer to 65 cents a liter.

**A pound (500g) of Rump steak **- tough one, I don’t buy beef very often. But it’s pretty cheap.

**A litre of Petrol **- Right now, about $1.40 a gallon, so about 37 cents a liter.

**a dozen eggs **- about $1.

**A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) **- Too many variables; between $10K and $20K, depending on model and options.

**A theatre ticket **- I can see plays at the university theater for $10; shows that are “passing through” are usually the same price they are anywhere else. Movies are $7.25 in the evenings, $4.25 for matinees.

**A one bedroom flat (rental) **- Here is where y’all will hate me. I’m paying $475 for a fairly spacious 1 BR in the middle of town, all bills paid.

**A three bedroom House (to buy) **- Again, y’all will hate this, but I’ve seen very nice 3BR houses on realtor shows in the $80-100,000 range. Of course, if you want a $300K house, they’re around too…

**is there anything that is really cheap where you are? **- Most things, really.

**Is there anything that’s horribly expensive? **- Mmmm, nothing comes to mind. Except that, thanks to voting Baptists, alcohol cannot be sold in package form in the city; if you want to take a six-pack home, you can’t just go down to the local 7-11, you have to drive out to the Strip on the county line, where there are liquor stores galore.

16

Prices: Aus dollars / US dollars / pounds

A loaf of bread $1.99 / $1 / £0.70

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe $3 / $1.50 / £1

Ticket to a major league sports event $40 / $20 / £14

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk $0.60 / $0.30 / £0.20

A pound (500g) of Rump steak $6 / $3 / £2

A litre of Petrol $0.85 / $0.42 / £0.26

a dozen eggs $2 / $1 / £0.70

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) (Aust made) $24000 / $12000 / £8000

A theatre ticket (its all musicals here at present, so that would be more expensive) $60 / $30 / £20

A one bedroom flat (rental) $250 / $125 / £85 per week

A three bedroom House (to buy) $300,000 / $150,000 / £100,000 and ever upwards

17

Interesting thread! Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

A loaf of bread: about $1

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe: $1.75 - $2

Ticket to a major league sports event: $30 for football game

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk: $0.50, perhaps?

A pound (500g) of Rump steak: $10

A litre of Petrol: $1.10

a dozen eggs: $2

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type): About $20,000 for an Opel Astra 4 door.
(I think there’s a lot of miscommunication with regard to this one. When an American says “35,000”, they’re not talking about a 4 door Civic, methinks!)

A theatre ticket: $20 to $40, roughly

A one bedroom falt (rental): about $600 - $700 a month in a decent area.

A three bedroom House (to buy): my two bedroom apartment is worth about $200,000 now, relatively central in Amsterdam. For a three bedroom house with yard, you’d pay at least $400,000.

Is there anything that is really cheap where you are?
Well, not really. Public transport is OK, I guess.

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?
Petrol, food in stores, cars and motorbikes, real estate.

18

Sacramento, CA, USA

A loaf of bread-- $.98

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe-- $2-4

Ticket to a major league sports event-- I’m not sure. Kings tickets are getting more expensive, however.

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk-- usually around $.75, IIR.

A pound (500g) of Rump steak-- $3.99 roughly. Constantly on sale

A litre of Petrol-- seems about average, at around $.40 for 89 octane

a dozen eggs-- $1.50

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type)-- 18,000 for Civic 4 door.

A theatre ticket-- $8.50

A one bedroom falt (rental)-- varies wildly, usually around $500

A three bedroom House (to buy)-- also varies, average seems to be about $200,000

is there anything that is really cheap where you are?-- junk food.

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?-- rent prices and gas.

19

Very Northeast PA

A loaf of bread .67 cents

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe $3.00

Ticket to a major league sports event I’ve never looked

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk $2.50

A pound (500g) of Rump steak About .99 cents a pound

A litre of Petrol The last time I looked it was $1.49 a gallon

a dozen eggs $1.37

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) approx. $15,000 depending on where and what you’re looking at

A theatre ticket Movie Theatre ? $5.00

A one bedroom falt (rental) $300.00-$350.00

A three bedroom House (to buy) $50,000

is there anything that is really cheap where you are? Just about everything, which is why I live here.:smiley:

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive?
Nope.

20

In Honolulu, HI. I do a lot of shopping at Foodland, not online though.

A loaf of bread, $1.15 at one particular store for cheap brand.

A glass of beer (half pint) in a pub/bar/cafe (don’t know, don’t drink)

Ticket to a major league sports event With only College American Football prices range from $25 to $135

A pint (or 1/2 litre) of milk 50¢ per pint

A pound (500g) of Rump steak Don’t buy it, but I guess $5 per pound

A litre of Petrol I don’t drive but believe they’re about 45¢ to 50¢ per liter. We typically hve the highest prices in the nation, and the outer islands have it even worse. In fact it got so bad the state sued Chevron (who runs the only oil refinery in the state) for artifically inflating prices and bilking us out of hundred of millions of dollars.

a dozen eggs $1.18

A medium sized new car (four door saloon type) Probably the same for just about any city in the US.

A theatre ticket $8, $5.75 for matinee

A one bedroom falt (rental) Varies greatly. $600-$1300 near where I live

A three bedroom House (to buy) Uggh, very expensive. Very few people in the state ever buy their own home, leasing is very common since several large landholders refuse to sell their land, although they’ve been forced to in recent years, to people who’ve lived there for long periods of time. Typically our prices lead the nation, although a few cities passed us due to the internet bubble of the 90s. We average, IIRC, about $350,000 to $400,000. Although it’s very easy to approach and pass $1,000,000. Although thankfully I believe our prices are still below what they were before the Japanese bubble burst. Boy has their recession hurt us badly.

is there anything that is really cheap where you are? ** Umm… Not that I can think of. Maybe National and State parks. Up until a few years ago we never charged people to enter, now it’s maybe a $1. The community colleges are pretty cheap. And our University is at least decent. Only $1,500 per semester when I went a few years ago. Oh, we can actually buy decently priced Kona coffee. There’s a law that states that a large portion of the crop must be sold in state rather then exported. And good ol’ Mother Nature is still free for surfing, sunbathing, hiking, snorkeling, spearfishing, shore fishing, and whatever else floats your boat.**

Is there anything that’s horribly expensive? Compared to the rest of the US, lots of things. Most things we buy are shipped in on cargo ships from the Mainland, although our oil comes from Malaysia, and the cost of shipping is tacked on to almost everything.