# What's the British standard of living like in 2008? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580 "2008-05-25T18:18:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/121 "2008-05-29T11:10:46Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] Oh, come on, you know full well that this is a silly example. [/QUOTE] Of course I do! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/122 "2008-05-29T12:48:34Z")
[QUOTE=GorillaMan] So _that’s_ why it always smells like somebody’s poured piss all over the floor. [/QUOTE] Nah, that smell is when Naaaaaaaaridge fans have been on the bus. We Mancs smell more like essence of rose petals ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/123 "2008-05-29T13:05:52Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Nah, that smell is when Naaaaaaaaridge fans have been on the bus. [/QUOTE] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/124 "2008-05-29T13:46:11Z")
And don’t forget we don’t have to factor health costs into things, which for me, is a pretty important part of what counts towards my ‘standard of living’. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/125 "2008-05-31T11:40:27Z")
[QUOTE=NajaNivea] I have this idea that line-dried clothing is stiff and scratchy. Plus, doesn’t it get dirt and stuff on it if the wind is blowing? We actually do have T-poles for clotheslines in my backyard, but there are a couple trees grown up around them so I couldn’t use them, even if I wanted to. Houses without closed backyards are extremely rare, in my limited experience (West coast, US). [/QUOTE] My experience of line dried washing is that it isn’t stiff,scratchy or gets dirty when the wind blows. Also ultraviolet from sunlight kills bacteria, I believe, that simply washing and spin drying doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/126 "2008-05-31T12:35:22Z")
[QUOTE=tagos] And don’t forget we don’t have to factor health costs into things, which for me, is a pretty important part of what counts towards my ‘standard of living’. [/QUOTE] Well, it’s not like we don’t pay for health care. It costs about £4,000 per household per year, plus whatever people pay voluntarily for private health care. ---
**Author:** ![tokaido-hokuriku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@tokaido-hokuriku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tokaido-hokuriku)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/127 "2008-05-31T12:36:39Z")
Funny you should mention NYC public transport - the metro is impressively cheap and comprehensive, but where on earth are the electronic arrivals boards? I think it’s the only major city I’ve visited where you often have no idea how long before the next train arrives… 2 min or 40 min, who knows? Being 24hr is worth a lot though. t-h ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/128 "2008-05-31T18:37:53Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] Alsace-Lorraine? 😉 [/QUOTE] Ja, genau, Elsass-Lothringen, das hab’ ich gemeint. Selbst ihrer Wein ist dem deutschen Wein ähnlicher als dem französischen! 🙂 (Yep, that’s it, I meant Alsace-Lorraine. Even their wine is more like German than French wine!) ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/129 "2008-05-31T22:58:27Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Nah, that smell is when Naaaaaaaaridge fans have been on the bus. [/QUOTE] Can you please translate Naaaaaaaaridge into American for us? Actually I’m fascinated by languages and dialects, so I’m interested. I can’t corroborate this pronunciation with any place I can see on a map. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/130 "2008-06-01T00:51:36Z")
Norwich. It’s pronounced to rhyme with porridge. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/131 "2008-06-01T01:05:40Z")
[QUOTE=tokaido-hokuriku] Funny you should mention NYC public transport - the metro is impressively cheap and comprehensive, but where on earth are the electronic arrivals boards? I think it’s the only major city I’ve visited where you often have no idea how long before the next train arrives… 2 min or 40 min, who knows? Being 24hr is worth a lot though. t-h [/QUOTE] It may surprise you to learn that NYC subways actually run on a schedule, something that is probably intuitive to frequent riders. After a while you sort of “know” when a train comes (I think probably only a minority of regular riders are aware there is a published schedule). [http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/schemain.htm](http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/schemain.htm) The MTA is also dabbling with arrivals signs - they have one at 1st Avenue station on the L train, I’ve noticed. Trains are always separated by a minimum of 3 minutes – something to do with the switching system I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/132 "2008-06-01T04:18:34Z")
I’m living in New York and I frequently do business with Brits. They travel here, I travel there. The concensus seems to be that for the most part expenses and wages are higher there and it averages out. However, in my field wages are about the same so I’m much better off staying in NY. But that means there must be other fields where it’s better to be in GB. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/133 "2008-06-01T07:33:08Z")
[QUOTE=GomiBoy] I think a NYC travel card is about $150 per month for all transportation methods including bus and subway. I don’t consider the equivalent of $300 per month for the same thing cheap, [/QUOTE] Half that, actually. A 30-day unlimited use subway/bus Metrocard is $81. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/134 "2008-06-01T09:54:38Z")
[QUOTE=Hello Again] The MTA is also dabbling with arrivals signs - they have one at 1st Avenue station on the L train, I’ve noticed. Trains are always separated by a minimum of 3 minutes – something to do with the switching system I believe. [/QUOTE] Wow.. 3 minutes is a long time at rush hour. Here in Prague they run 45 seconds apart at rush hour. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/135 "2008-06-01T10:14:33Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Norwich. It’s pronounced to rhyme with porridge. [/QUOTE] The exact pronunciation can be heard [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mThFExgr5tQ) 😃 (NSFW, I suppose). ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/136 "2008-06-01T11:14:19Z")
Actually, for our American cousins, Norwich rhymes with oatmeal :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![tokaido-hokuriku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@tokaido-hokuriku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tokaido-hokuriku)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/137 "2008-06-01T16:51:54Z")
[QUOTE=Hello Again] It may surprise you to learn that NYC subways actually run on a schedule, something that is probably intuitive to frequent riders. After a while you sort of “know” when a train comes (I think probably only a minority of regular riders are aware there is a published schedule). [http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/schemain.htm](http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/schemain.htm) The MTA is also dabbling with arrivals signs - they have one at 1st Avenue station on the L train, I’ve noticed. Trains are always separated by a minimum of 3 minutes – something to do with the switching system I believe. [/QUOTE] Interesting! The things you learn. First time I went to the US, I got dumped at Howard Beach subway station at about 10pm. Very cold, no indication of when the next train was due. Me and some friendly Dutch girls had to huddle for warmth. Tough times. t-h ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/138 "2008-06-06T08:12:49Z")
[QUOTE=Eyebrows 0f Doom] Half that, actually. A 30-day unlimited use subway/bus Metrocard is $81. [/QUOTE] Wow. Might be moving to NYC if my work visa doesn’t come through, so good to know. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/139 "2008-06-06T16:03:23Z")
[QUOTE=Desert Nomad] Wow.. 3 minutes is a long time at rush hour. Here in Prague they run 45 seconds apart at rush hour. [/QUOTE] Wow! I canz movez to Prague? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580/140 "2008-06-06T17:34:00Z")
I remember seeing Fergie interviewed after her marriage failed and she moved out of the palace. What I remember most was her talking about how dim all the lighting was and how cold it was. So tell me, what about central heating? Most of the shows I see, (granted moving house shows), don’t even touch on this. But each of the houses seem to have a funny sort of heater in what would be the fireplace. What’s that about? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-british-standard-of-living-like-in-2008/450580.md?page=8)