I'm curious about the comment of a Big Mac costing more in Times Square. I've heard that before and I've also heard it denied. Living in Naples, Florida which is considered "soooo" high end, I've often heard people say the same thing -- that places like MacDonald's charge more, but that has been disproved and their prices here are the same as all over the state. So is it true? Is a Big Mac more near Times Square than say in Queens or Brooklyn?

I can't speak specifically for a Big Mac costing more in Times Square vs. Queens or Brooklyn, but I can say that on Oahu, a Big Mac will cost you more in Waikiki than in other locations on the island.

I sometimes have to attend seminars in Waikiki and with the short lunch break we're given, I sometimes just go to McDonald's to pick up something quick. I always get sticker shock when I see how much they're charging, as I never go into Waikiki unless I have to.

I saw it for myself in New York that there are varied prices at McDonalds in one neighborhood vs. another.

You have to make the rent somehow, and I suspect pricing is in direct relation to the rent the franchise pays to be in one place vs. another. Midtown Manhattan is pretty pricey when compared to Brooklyn or some other borough.

It's just another reason for me to vacation in NYC and live in Denver. ;)

Jules

You'll pay more for a Macdonalds/burger king/whatever in central London than you do in the rest of the UK. Fast food places in the main rail terminals seem to be worst of all for this.

I can confirm that McDonald's in Paris is marginally cheaper than McDonald's in the rest of France. And the current price of a Big Mac is 2 € (but it is a promotional period).

Meanwhile, a Coke in a tourist area café costs about 4 €. In a normal neighborhood, it is 2.50 € and if you hit the absolute tourist rip-off joint, it is about 6 €. A magnum (1.5L) at the supermarket costs 1.20 €.

Define " Europe".
From Albania to Sweden the prices will vary perhaps 200%.

Dear Amandab - the answer is not to drink coke in a cafe, but to buy a large bottle in the monoprix and decant it into smaller bottles to drink on the street during the day, if that's what you really want to do. In a restaurant with a meal, drink what the locals do - wine or water - "un carafe d'eau" will get you a jug of tap water and glasses. In a cafe drink "un cafe" or something like a "citron/orange presse" which is freshly squeezed juice, with water and sugar to taste. Still expensive, but much nicer!
As to your friend with her inflated prices, we were horrifed to find out that 2 small beers and one large one were going to cost us E6 & E8 respectively when we were desperate for a beer after doing the vatican and St. Peter's all day. So we went for 3 large beers - our daughter initally thought she'd never drink hers, but with a little bit of help from Dad, she got through it ok.
I'm not suggesting you share a small coffee [i thik the waiters would soon rumble that one] but there's no reason you can't be creative!

Here are several things to take into account:

There is no set price for something in "europe" since prices vary tremendously between countries

Prices can also vary tremendously withing countries - things in small towns (except resorts) usually costing less than in big cities.

Within each city you can find places that are more or less expensive - depending on your budget - search them out - and check out prices before you sit down.

Many things in europe will be more than in the US:

in part due to the pitiful state of the dollar

where you're from (if from a smaller city/town or less expensive area prices in a big city will be much higher - just as they are in New York)

some things in europe (such as soft drinks or cocktails) are MUCH more expensive than in the US, while others (local wine or beer) are usually less

if you buy anything at all - even a bottle of water - in the immediate vicinity of a major tourist attraction the price will probably be outrageous

(Also, in general, the US is a bigger market and discounting on almost anything is much more common here than in europe. Think what it would cost to buy toothpaste in a local, privately owned - not chain - pharmacy vs in the supermarket.)

the idea that:

"in europe, wine is cheaper than soda"

needs to be filed under myth/fantasy/urban legend.

not saying that this would NEVER be the case but for all the fanfare, it is very rare in my experience.

well, walkinaround, I've experienced many places where wine WAS cheaper than soda. In fact I've eaten at a lot of little trattorias where a glass or even a bottle of wine was included with the meal -- but have never seen where they'd substitute a soda for the wine -- that would be extra.
And I've often had a glass of house wine for 1 to 2 euros, where I'm 99% sure the sodas cost more than that.

Poland!
1/2 liter can of beer from shop 60 cents USA.
a 1/2 liter glass of beer from pub tap $1.70 and up....
Wine...$2.25 for .70 liter bottle.
A cup of coffee at the local airport..$1.30.

Normally, a glass of coke in a bar or restaurant should be between 2 and 3 Euros. If you buy a bottle in a supermarket, it costs 1 Euro for 1 liter( about 4 glasses).
A tube of toothpaste: 1,30 Euro.
And for a meal in a restaurant 20 euro seems a reasonable price to me.
One more tip: the average European doesn't eat in a restaurant every day.

Ainhoa

She might not have lived there all her life, but my Mom was born and raised in England, and in the era when they sang "There'll always be an England" with spirit - possibly because a member of the present-day EU was bombing her home town of Portsmouth at the time. England/the UK, she will tell you (currently from her hospital bed) is not in Europe, which according to her is a continent.

Look, I hear you, but it is dangerous to argue with an 85 year old armed with a hypodermic syringe....

*****
(Back to the question)

I think one also needs to remember marketing strategies vary from place to place. OP says the meal cost 20 euro but the coke was 15. We aren't told what a glass of wine would have cost, but it's possible the operator is seeking to present the meal as a loss leader and the drinks as where he makes his profit. This is not uncommon at pubs where I live. In any case, the total cost for OP's friend for this meal was 35 euro. For two, this would be a bargain, but still not out of line for one person.

The other possibility is that she was simply ripped off. On our last trip through northern Italy we encountered something we'd heard about, but of which we had had no personal experience on earlier trips - an unusually high frequency of 'slow counters' (cashiers who give change in two parts, with the second part coming only when you 'remind' them) and grocery store clerks who couldn't seem to read price labels. (This didn't occur at major supermarkets, which had price scanning wands at the cash register.)

thanks for the wonderful comments guys!!
Walkinaround - you got it close, we are from NZ not Oz, our dollar is worth nothing when we travel, which makes it even scarier if these prices were for real (so glad its not the norm).
My hubby and I will certainly be eating like the locals, not as rich tourists. Thanks for the comments about going to the bar and not being served by a waiter, didn't realise that one.
I don't know whether she's got the decimal points mixed up, she's well travelled and seems to know her stuff, though obviously not where to eat and shop.
Think we will have the occasional restaurant meal, but mainly picking up bread, cheese, meats etc from delis.
Has anyone taken over their own flask and coffee and made it up each morning at their hotel to take away? However having said that, I certainly don't mind paying 1 or 2 Euros for a coffee on the go.

Once upon a time, my wife and I lived in the center of a major American city, where she and I both walked to work, did not own a car, and used public transportation when going farther afield. We used to say that we could afford to live there...but we could not afford to be a tourist there.


Much of the same economics -- and reasoning -- applies to tourists from America visiting Europe.

Hi amandab, our posts must have crossed.

When you say, make up coffee in a flask, are you talking about using an immersion heater to make your own coffee (which a friend does) or using the in-room equipment (not always supplied, depending on the hotel)?

Sue - As Portsmouth only exists as a base to launch attacks on Europe, this attitude doesn't surprise me in the least. (Pompey - as it is known- is my families home town).

Amandab - the point has been laboured here, but in general, do not let prices put you off. I find the UK very expensive, but have eaten exceptional meals in Italy for not very much.

Perhaps the 15 euro coke was at a "destination" similar to St. Mark's in Venice, where you are really paying for the privelege of sitting at a table and listening to the music.

Missypie..and please add paying for the opportunity to let those pigeons sit on you!

I just spent a month in Germany and found many things to be quite expensive,only partly on account of the weak dollar. I seldom ate in restaurants, and I found things like an individual bottle of cola "to go" to be rather pricey.

Amandab

Don't let your friends stories scare you off of anything. I have been financially screwed at hotel sundry shops in this country. In Tampa, I paid a hotel $5 for a can of beer to drink in my room.

Yes in Europe a Coca Cola served to you at restaurant/cafe will be 4 to 5 euro. That is more than a small pitcher of white wine, so buy the wine.
Sitting at a cafe costs you euros (usually a higher price for what you order, but sometimes a separate table charge. But it is your table for as many hours as you care to use it.)

Some higher costs are not regional but simply small business people making money where they can. When we were in Rome, it was 90+ degrees often and I willing paid 4 euro for cold water several times.

OTOH you can find delightful hotels in Europe for the same amount as a dreadful, noisy hotel in this country. You can find full meals at sidewalk cafes in Paris for 20 euro (or splurge for 30 euro). Train travel can be affordable.

With some planning a trip to Europe will be a financial horror.

"With some planning a trip to Europe will be a financial horror."

Is there a "not" missing somewhere in that sentence?

>Europe a Coca Cola served to you at restaurant/cafe will be 4 to 5 euro.
I live in Europe and I've never paid 5€ for a Coke, something must be wrong. ;-)

Which part of Europe are you talking about? Some cities are more expensive than others. In Rome, you can go to a restaurant and spend 100 euros on a pizza dinner or you can go and get a carry out slice for 3.5 euros. You can buy a can of coke from a street vendor for 5 euros or you can go to a corner store and get one for .90 euros. Cost all depends on where you are and how much you are willing to pay. If you are smart, you can find inexpensive eats and sleeps all over Europe.

Donna

In the past 2 years, we've been to Paris, London and Munich. Diet Coke in a restaurant ran about 4e in Paris and London (cheaper in Munich, I think). Granted, these are for the little bottles. Unless she was staying at the Ritz, or got completely ripped off, a standard Diet Coke order in Europe would not be 15e.

Could the problem be that she asked for a refill?

In Europe, if you must have Diet Coke (as we must have!), better to hit a supermarket and get a 1L or greater bottle.

>If you are smart
So that's the reason ;-) ;-)

Last week we were in Paris and I ordered an iced tea at Les Deux Magots Cafe and we paid 5.30 euro for it, or about $6.50! But as someone else has mentioned, it's not the drink we were paying for. My husband said it had bought us an hour to rest and people watch and what more could we ask for!

Turista you got it right. Of course you are not paying for a coffee or coke sitting at the deux magots, firstly you can stay as long as you wish secondly it is a world known place and the location assures you people watching and a Paris feeling that we all tourists are usually interested. Of course, most of the time it is less expensive to drink what the locals drink in that case a cafe creme, or even an Orangina
and always une carafe d eau versus a bottle of some expensive water.
<<<<after all you can have all kinds of Cokes at home,....

Just on principle, I just couldn't bring myself to eat at Deux Magots when I was in Paris. I don't know what a Magot is in French, but in English, I don't want to be near one, much less two. LOL

Jules

With some planning a trip to Europe will not be a financial horror.

Yes there was a 'not' left out.
Sorry
LOL at myself.

I can think of some places where one would pay outrageous prices for a drink : some famous cafes (say, at the terrace of the Fouquet's on the Champs Elysees), some clubs, some bars with hostess in the red light district around Montmartre..

However, such prices wouldn't be representative.

I think she is either just lying (or "exaggerating" for a dramatic story), or was confusing currencies. I've seen that happen a lot, people quoting rates in some foreign currency and saying that was it in USD, or whatever. Or, she just has a very bad memory.

I think most drinks cost about the same in "Europe" -- wine vs. beer vs. soft drinks. I don't drink soft drinks, so maybe my memory on that one isn't as great, but I know they aren't that much more than wine/beer because I've had them a little. In major European cities, I've not found coffee as cheap as some others quote, however (not 1-2 euro in Paris, etc.). More around 3 euro. My recent trip, I took note, and a cafe creme ran 2.5 to 3.5 euro in various cafes, and that wasn't a super large size. I think in Spain, I could get a coffee for more around 2 euro.

I've read things saying the name of Deux Magots refers to some Chinese statues in that place and that's the name of some Chinese traders. I don't know -- in French slang, magot is the word for a cigarette butt. In English, the word for insect larvae isn't that word because it is spelled differently.

Magot is slang for "loot".
Mégot is the normal word for cigarette butt.

willit

My mom would be the first to convey her sympathies to your parents for the hardships they suffered. She also understood, even at the time, the complexities of war, and about targets.

The trouble with the Internet is that it is a lousy medium for conveying irony. You can't hear my tone of voice, for example, which otherwise might have helped you understand I was being facetious, ironic. My remarks were meant as a comment on how people can retain old habits, even long after maps and political alliances have changed, let alone after their opinions and world view has changed - as indeed my mother's has. On that note, I suspect the attitude of all of that generation has changed - regardles of their nationality - since that dreadful time. This is why I felt it safe to be ironic.

But irony or no, I got off-topic, and for that I must give the OP my apologies.

South France non tourist bar / restaurant prices :

Ricard Euro 1
Rose wine Euro 1
Expresso Euro 1
Large white coffee Euro 2
Beer Euro 2
Three course meal inc wine from Euro 10

I don't believe this story. Surely no one drinks coke with a meal ?

Peter

Huh? Why not drink coke with a meal? I do it all the time. It's not that I'm teetotal or anything, but if I drink at lunchtime it makes me dozy and makes the afternoon a big effort! I'll also often have a soft drink with an evening meal too as wine just makes me thirsy (even though I like it). Last time I went out for a meal I had a couple of glasses of wine and also a pint of coke next to my plate for swigging!

Surely no one drinks coke with a meal ?>>>>>>

Yanks do. Really they do. It's one of their quirks.

One other thing that we may be forgetting here is that by and large in the small cafes in Europe a soda is a bottle of pop, rather than the post mix stuff from the gun. Bottles are always more expensive than the stuff from the hose.

Here in Britain it is usually the gun kind rather than the bottles and it's dirt cheap (about £1 a pint in a pub). I have no idea whatr a bottle of pop costs at the Ritz though.

What's really, really, startling about this thread is that the habit of adults drinking Coca Cola with food must have spread to New Zealand.

Which I'll remember the next time a Kiwi gets all sanctimonious about the unhealthy North

PS. Has anyone else noticed something odd about the poster describing himself as "Audere est Facere"?

Identical style to a well-known other poster. Identical, if incomprehensible, football loyalty. Yet - after recently, if horrifyingly, describing the English public school ethos, as "mens sane in corpora sano" (William of Wykeham must having a heart attack in his grave) - he's now coming out with proper Latin.

Proof that, whatever other failings Tottenham Hotsupr may have, White Hart Lane offers a better classical education than the leafy groves of Winchester.

"Why not drink coke with a meal?"

Well, Coke and otker soft drinks are sweet. Too sweet to my taste. How does a sweet drink go with a steak or fish?

Flanneur,

Having a pop at a chap's rusty latin is just Juvenal behaviour.

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum. innit.