Did you know

[jow104]

I did some shopping in Coles today and studied the bill, then compared it with a similar print out from Sainsburys of the UK which somehow turned up in my wallet dated August 06.

Bananas UK 89pence per kg.
whole grain bread 800grms 70pence
Braeburn apples 1.39p per kg.
Milk semi skimmed 1.60 for 6 pints.
and it goes on.
In the UK we used to envy your commodity prices!!!!!!!!!

[Clinton1]

hmmmm, but what does it all mean when you convert it to Aus$ and take into consideration average wages and other cost of living factors?

An example: a mate has just come back from living in the UK, and he said the other blokes his age on lower incomes lived very poorly, i.e. he bought a few steaks and they thought he was loaded.

I find it hard to compare.

[Schtoo]

Clinton is right, it's like comparing apples and bananas based on just a shopping receipt.

Take your shopping list, guessing that there is 100p to a pound, and at a nominal exchange rate, your quick bill comes to $11.33.

If I did the same thing here, my shopping bill would be $14.40. A bit more expensive, but the comparison doesn't just stop with 4 items. If you really want to know, the bread, milk and apples are more expenisve here, but you are getting killed on the bananas.

I know that one of the guys I used to work with was making amazing money being a sparky in London, but didn't have much to show for it because of the cost of living.

I know that here I make a scary hourly rate after tax, but I don't work enough hours to make it really healthy.


Just to stick the boots in, got a fuel receipt in your wallet there?

(If you don't, it doesn't matter because it's about $1.37 a litre here, but it's what you call high octane in Oz too too. I just checked, $1.29.9 for the same stuff in Melbourne and *cough* $2.12 in the UK... )

[lesmeyer]

Good answer Schtoo.
You were sharp with the inimitable fuel docket. One has to look at the total picture when comparing cost of living. That should also include salaries/wages. Remember that the exchange rate can also mislead the true picture.

However, banana prices are an aberration at the moment.

I think we have it pretty good in OZ.
Les

[rtfarty]

Here in London some of the other costs are horrendous:

Parking ticket £100 reduced to £50 if paid within 28 days
Petrol 89p per litre
Congestion zone: If you enter the congestion zone in the city it will cost you £8 a day. The zone is being enlarged next year and I will be living just inside the boundry and for that priveledge it will cost me £212 and that is with a resident discount.
My wages aren't that great but I get a flat as part of my job which helps and my wife has a well paid job for a medical consultant, otherwise we couldn't afford to live in London.
We ride our bikes most of the time and only use the car when we really have to. One good thing though, because we are over 60 we get free transport on the tube, busses and light rail in greater London.
Still looking forward to comming home next year when we (Kiwis) win the Rugby world cup again.