Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Amusing thing of the week

Big value, low prices: Everyday I am amazed at how cheap most things cost. Don't get me wrong, some things are expensive but generally food and clothing are cheap. Ever time I go out to lunch I am blown away. Two days ago I went to an amazing Indian restaurant and ordered: Naan, mutter paneer, pineapple raita (!!!), rice and bottled water. All of that included all the sauces and an appetizer as well. The cost? $8 (That's in US dollars). With the cheap price is all the added tip and no sales tax.. meaning $8 was the whole price.
 
What are the cheap things?
A gallon of gas: About $0.47... yes cents. Apparently it went up by about $0.20 last year. 
A can of Coke: $0.30
A gallon of ice cream: $1.50
A pair of women's flats (shoes): Got a "Target-like" pair last week for about $5. 
An average cab ride: $1.50-$3 (includes tip)
A name-brand flat screen 36" LCD TV (includes delivery and installation): $700
Dry cleaning: Got about 25 items done (washed and pressed) for $10. 
An ice cream cone from McDonalds: $0.30
Monthly electric/water bills (rumored): Around $5
A 50 minute deep-tissue massage (includes full use of Spa facility that includes pools, beach, etc): $68 
Cellphones and minutes: $138 (included a super nice Nokia, SIM card and 40AED of talk time which I am still using.. you can buy just a cellphone here for $30). 
A yoga punch card (includes 10 classes that run one hour and 30 minutes each): $95

What is expensive?
Mailing a simple letter (light) to the U.S.: $12
Buying 4 items from the MAC makeup store: $150
Buying one hour of SLOW Internet: $5
Buying a pint of cold cider: $11 (Anything bought at a hotel has an added 16% for service/tourist fees. This is sad because all bars are located at hotels.)
Rent: $2000 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I can drop $150 at the MAC counter, no problem. I usually get more than four items, though. (I wonder if I could send it to you cheaper. But it might come in little pieces ... eeek.) I am pretty much jealous of the cheap things. Mmmm, ice cream. Bet you need that in the heat there. And that deep tissue massage sounds pretty darned good right now.

Elissa said...

Wow, what a list. I love seeing cost comparisons in different countries. But the difference in the low cost of products and the high cost of living is really crazy.