High cost of living

[CaptainVideo]

I was wondering, are the prices quoted in the series accurate? I flinched a bit when Soonie's ex took out a $50K loan on top of a previous loan, but I chalked that up to the high price of adultery. I have to admit that when he was filling up the tank on that little car and the attendant told him, "$80", I just about died. Back in the '70s I recall reading an article about the high cost of living in Japan, where a Sunday edition of the NY Times was going for $30, food was astronomical and appliances were very costly, too. Is this the case in Korea?

[Lucy]

I think the price of gasoline is astronomical almost everywhere except the US. Even with the supposedly shocking increases over here. I remember in the '80s the price of gas in Europe was reported to be like $3-4 a gallon, IIRC. About the other prices, I don't know, but people in the Korean dramas do tend to throw around what we'd consider large sums of money, even the middle-class people. That's probably why the small amount of Jae-do's retirement cash in "Bizarre Bunch" made them so depressed, even though it was $20,000. I figure if the prices are that high, their salaries have to be commensurate.

[ginnycat5]

In Europe it's 1-1.37 Euros per liter, and the chart says our price is .49 Euros per liter! (as of December).
Another site: In Seoul, Korea, it's $4.71 per gallon! The same chart shows UK price in Teeside is $5.64, but in Venezuela, it's only $0.14 per gallon.

[CaptainVideo]

ginnycat5 said:

In Europe it's 1-1.37 Euros per liter, and the chart says our price is .49 Euros per liter! (as of December).
Another site: In Seoul, Korea, it's $4.71 per gallon! The same chart shows UK price in Teeside is $5.64, but in Venezuela, it's only $0.14 per gallon.

Yeah, we've been living on the backs of the rest of world energy wise for quite some time. Thanks for your insight as well, Lucy. I guess it's all relative, people in NY and L.A. make more money than workers here, but their cost of living is higher.

[TheBo]

Have you guys ever seen that stock analyst guy on cable TV? He paces around his area in his shirtsleeves, pushing buttons that make mooing noises like a radio DJ, and people call him and say "Boo-yah Jim!" I'm not kidding.

Anyway, he did a funny rant one day about the price of gasoline in the US, and while he did it, he was drinking milk from a glass poured from a gallon bottle, and he said Americans should not whine about the price of gas until it's more expensive than a gallon of milk.

In case you were wondering, he's a serious stock analyst. Just colorful.

Bo

[ginnycat5]

And what do we pay for water? And coffee?

[soapygrams]

ginnycat5 said:

And what do we pay for water? And coffee?

There may be a big difference between the cost of gasolene being cheaper here in the US than in other countries - but what is the cost of [glow=red,2,300]MEDICAL CARE [/glow]in other countries compared to the cost here in the US and also the cost of medication? I think we need to readjust our priorities - anyway - walking is really good for you LOL ...

[Lucy]

A company I worked for a couple of years ago, here in Chicago, was bought out by a NY company. Most people lost their jobs but a few (like me) were offered transfers to NYC--BUT with NO INCREASE in salary! The cost of living is something like 25% more there, especially rent, as everyone knows. I said, you must be kidding, and quickly declined. Idiots.

[TheBo]

LOL! You said it, Lucy--the idiots are in charge, for some reason, everywhere you turn.

Soapygrams, I agree with you 100 percent. It is criminal the cost of medical care here not to mention pharmaceuticals. MyBob had to get a prescription for a cholesterol-reducing drug, and it's $123 for 30! One month! Thank g-d he's got insurance, but so many people don't. I feel really sorry for people who have to get three or four medicines every month. How could you pay for that? Even with Medicare, it's just too expensive.

Bo

[MisterBill50]

lucy said:

A company I worked for a couple of years ago, here in Chicago, was bought out by a NY company. Most people lost their jobs but a few (like me) were offered transfers to NYC--BUT with NO INCREASE in salary! The cost of living is something like 25% more there, especially rent, as everyone knows. I said, you must be kidding, and quickly declined. Idiots.

I've heard very similar horror stories about rent in NYC, Lucy. I used to work for an insurance company with offices in NY, and some of the people told me that they found it easier to live in Connecticut and travel for an hour or more in each direction to go to work. On top of that, the waiting list for apartments in NY was horrendous (as well as the rates for monthly parking spaces).

In Japan, I think it costs the equivalent of $16 to order a Big Mac, and people wait in long lines for those too.

[Ducky]

captainvideo said:

I was wondering, are the prices quoted in the series accurate?

I found these cost of living examples.

If the price range for a work shirt is from 10,000 to 50,000 it seems that it the same everywhere If you shop around you will find a deal.

Also it is handy to have a currency conversion calculator