USA vs Western Europe Prices
Sep 9th, 2006, 08:47 AM
#26
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It would be 7% if it were milk, it's not taxed at the special rate for food, but at the ordinary rate for almost anything else. Life is a luxury, so I'm pying deluxe tax on everything except food ;-)
Sep 9th, 2006, 10:15 AM
#27
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hahah, oh, well, we have hotels 3 stars or less also at the 7% VAT. It's fair...if they have seen some pensions and one star hotels and hostels I've seen, they are sure that they can't be a luxury 
Sep 9th, 2006, 10:29 AM
#28
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In general everything is cheaper in the US except for basic wine and beer in restaurants in appropriate countries.
Also - medical care in europe seems much cheaper since it is provided/subsidized by the government. (But since this is really paid for out of taxes - which are massively higher in europe than in the US - the difference is largely illusory.) Private medical care in europe is still very expensive.
Especially if you live outside of a few major cities in the US the differences can be (very) significant.
Also - medical care in europe seems much cheaper since it is provided/subsidized by the government. (But since this is really paid for out of taxes - which are massively higher in europe than in the US - the difference is largely illusory.) Private medical care in europe is still very expensive.
Especially if you live outside of a few major cities in the US the differences can be (very) significant.
Sep 9th, 2006, 10:43 AM
#31
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Bottled water is much more in touristy parts of big cities. It gets cheaper in Paris, for instance, as you move away from the Arc D'Triomphe toward Le Grand Arch and beyond. Water in Barcelona was a euro for a very large bottle and that was in the main part of the city. I bought a small caraffe of wine across the street from the main train station in Madrid for 2.50 euro and got three full glasses out of it. Spain was definitely less expensive than most of Ffrance especially Paris. The other thing is that the cheap wine in most of Europe is much better than the cheap wine here in the states.
Baldworth
Baldworth
Sep 9th, 2006, 10:52 AM
#33
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Even for Paris, the price varies, i'm always astonished at the prices people on this board seem to pay for basic things.
For instance,i have my grocery bill here : bottled water - Paris 16th - local supermarket : 1.55 Euros for .... 9 liters (1.5 * 6) - most restaurants around my place or my office (in the 9th)have lunches for 12-14 Euros (3 courses), etc ...
For instance,i have my grocery bill here : bottled water - Paris 16th - local supermarket : 1.55 Euros for .... 9 liters (1.5 * 6) - most restaurants around my place or my office (in the 9th)have lunches for 12-14 Euros (3 courses), etc ...
Sep 9th, 2006, 10:55 AM
#34
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Paris 16th is not a tourist packed zone, that's all 
Anyway, I still think they took too much profit on tourists and also on locals that happen to be in that zone, name it Paris, Rome, London or Madrid.
Anyway, I still think they took too much profit on tourists and also on locals that happen to be in that zone, name it Paris, Rome, London or Madrid.
Sep 9th, 2006, 11:29 AM
#36
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The most expensive NECESSITY I found in Germany and in eastern Europe is books. At home I can always find a used book store in which books cost around $3.00 or $4.00. In Europe I found only one used book bookstore (in Budapest), even in university towns like Tübingen and Heidelberg. If I buy it new in the States, a paperback will cost around $7.00 to $8.00, whereas in Europe it will cost about $12.00. My experience has been with German and Spanish language books as well as English language books. I read a lot (in those three languages) and am not able to take enough books in my luggage to last me for a while trip.
I can stay at a cheap motel, like Motel 6, for around $35.00--$50.00, whereas in Europe, the cheapest I could find was about 60.00 euros (maybe $70.00). I can get a very nice room for $100. In Europe the same quality room would cost much more.
A bottle of coca cola (from a store--about 10 ounces) $2.25. About 4 oz of salami, $4.00 at a deli, but the cheese was cheap--only $1.29 for 4 oz. Breakfast in a little cafe (o.j., two rolls, an egg, butter, etc., and coffee, $17.16. (This is not a fancy cafe!)
But we did have good meals that were quite inexpensive. At a neighborhood restaurant in Berlin, we had excellent pasta and salad, with a bottle of mineral water for me and a glass of wine for my sister for $32.oo for the two of us.
Since for a month I was staying at a Goethe Institute, breakfast & lunch were provided 5 days a week, so I bought food for dinner and weekends. My overall feeling was that Europe was quite expensive this time around.
Many Germans felt that with the conversion to the euro, prices went up. I tend to agree.
I can stay at a cheap motel, like Motel 6, for around $35.00--$50.00, whereas in Europe, the cheapest I could find was about 60.00 euros (maybe $70.00). I can get a very nice room for $100. In Europe the same quality room would cost much more.
A bottle of coca cola (from a store--about 10 ounces) $2.25. About 4 oz of salami, $4.00 at a deli, but the cheese was cheap--only $1.29 for 4 oz. Breakfast in a little cafe (o.j., two rolls, an egg, butter, etc., and coffee, $17.16. (This is not a fancy cafe!)
But we did have good meals that were quite inexpensive. At a neighborhood restaurant in Berlin, we had excellent pasta and salad, with a bottle of mineral water for me and a glass of wine for my sister for $32.oo for the two of us.
Since for a month I was staying at a Goethe Institute, breakfast & lunch were provided 5 days a week, so I bought food for dinner and weekends. My overall feeling was that Europe was quite expensive this time around.
Many Germans felt that with the conversion to the euro, prices went up. I tend to agree.
Sep 9th, 2006, 11:40 AM
#37
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I agree that variations of locations and outlets in both places make it difficult to generalize about such things.
But I think we can all agree that you can't buy gasoline anywhere in Western Europe as you can everywhere in the US.
And after a night in emergency at a hospital in Nice, following an ambulance ride accompanied by 5 (count'em, 5) paramedics), full system monitoring, and numerous tests including EKG's, blood work, and a scan, I can say that I can't imagine anywhere in the US where all that would only cost about $100. In fact when we tried to pay the ambulance bill, they were appalled at such an idea. Ambulances are public emergency services. They wanted to know if our police and fire departments would also charge us if they came to our rescue.
But I think we can all agree that you can't buy gasoline anywhere in Western Europe as you can everywhere in the US.
And after a night in emergency at a hospital in Nice, following an ambulance ride accompanied by 5 (count'em, 5) paramedics), full system monitoring, and numerous tests including EKG's, blood work, and a scan, I can say that I can't imagine anywhere in the US where all that would only cost about $100. In fact when we tried to pay the ambulance bill, they were appalled at such an idea. Ambulances are public emergency services. They wanted to know if our police and fire departments would also charge us if they came to our rescue.
Sep 9th, 2006, 01:22 PM
#39
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Heavens Neo, was that this summer? No matter when, a scary scenerio. But the cost is unbeliavable.
I didn't know for ages that our ambulances charge big time..for years I was under the wrong assumption that they were provided as part of a pubic service like the PD and Fire Dept. services.
Something that Italy charges is an annual permit fee or tax for each television set a household has. I hope our government never gets that idea, lol.
I didn't know for ages that our ambulances charge big time..for years I was under the wrong assumption that they were provided as part of a pubic service like the PD and Fire Dept. services.
Something that Italy charges is an annual permit fee or tax for each television set a household has. I hope our government never gets that idea, lol.
Sep 9th, 2006, 01:48 PM
#40
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>Something that Italy charges is an annual permit fee or tax for each television set a household has. I hope our government never gets that idea...<
It would have a very positive effect on the general level of culture in the US.
It would have a very positive effect on the general level of culture in the US.
