How much does it cost ya?

[GTM]

Some relocate in ER to lower expenses. I think the biggest factor in different areas of the country or the world is home prices and rents.
I am not sure if there is a real big difference in everyday or frequent expenses.

To make a comparison how much does it cost you for

A gallon of regular gas.
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola.
High speed internet service.
6 pack of Bud.
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year)
An oil change for you car.
Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it)

Add the area you live in if you wish.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Some relocate in ER to lower expenses. I think the biggest factor in different areas of the country or the world is home prices and rents.
I am not sure if there is a real big difference in everyday or frequent expenses.

To make a comparison how much does it cost you for

A gallon of regular gas.
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola.
High speed internet service.
6 pack of Bud.
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year)
An oil change for you car.
Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it)

Add the area you live in if you wish.

$2.549/gal. as of Friday
Coke, no idea. Do not drink any soft drinks.
Don't know. Our dial up is $17.95/Mo.
6 pack of Bud - about $5.99
Dry clean pants? Not sure. Almost never have this done.
Oil change - $17.95 inc. inspection, fluids, etc.
No bus or subway where we live.

Rural northern Illinois.

JG

 

[kat]

gallon of gas $2.83
Coke $1.29 ($.99 on sale)
high speed: cable $39; verizon $18 in the beginning (advertised)
6 pack Bud about $6
dry clean: don't know
oil change: $10. with coupon, up to $30, depending where you go
bus fare $1

Eastern New York

Kate

 

[retire@40]

I am not sure if there is a real big difference in everyday or frequent expenses.

There isn't.

 

[wildcat]

I think insurance and real estate/home are the two variable expenses that can add significantly to a budget & not so much the everyday expenses.

 

[bpp]

To make a comparison how much does it cost you for

A gallon of regular gas.
$4.78

A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola.
$2.58

High speed internet service.
$33/mo (8 MB/s ADSL $23 + Service provider $10)

6 pack of Bud.
Don't know, not about to pay import prices for Bud.
Local generic lager would be around $10-$11/six cans.

Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year)
Don't know. WAG: $10-$20?

An oil change for you car.
$26

Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it)
Depends on distance. Would be around $5.00 from home
to work I think, but I drive. (20-25 minute drive. Bus would probably take an hour and has a very restricted schedule.)

Add the area you live in if you wish.
Japan

Bpp

 

[wabmester]

High speed internet service.
$33/mo (8 MB/s ADSL $23 + Service provider $10)

Yeah, there's good old American capitalism for you. The rest of the world has faster cheaper access than we do. I remember back when it cost a fortune to get an internet connection in Japan.

Well, I guess there's an upside. We can stuff ourselves with burgers and cokes cheaper than the rest of the world.

 

[REWahoo]

Yeah, there's good old American capitalism for you. The rest of the world has faster cheaper access than we do.

Did you happen to notice that gas is $2.00/gal higher than in the US? Happy to pay a little more for access vs. a lot more for transportation..

 

[MJ]

A gallon of regular gas = $2.89 but I rarely use my car
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola. Don't buy soda.
High speed internet service. Just lowered my DSL from $34 to $17 by dropping the speed to 750k.
6 pack of Bud. Don't buy beer.
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year) What's that?
An oil change for you car. Rarely need it as I don't use my car but when needed I do it myself for about $6
Bus or subway fare. about $1.70 but I don't use it since I use my bicycle to get around.

the big apple

 

[GTM]

A gallon of regular gas.
$4.78

A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola.
$2.58

High speed internet service.
$33/mo (8 MB/s ADSL $23 + Service provider $10)

6 pack of Bud.
Don't know, not about to pay import prices for Bud.
Local generic lager would be around $10-$11/six cans.

Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year)
Don't know.  WAG: $10-$20?

An oil change for you car.
$26

Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it)
Depends on distance.  Would be around $5.00 from home
to work I think, but I drive. (20-25 minute drive.  Bus would probably take an hour and has a very restricted schedule.)

Add the area you live in if you wish.
Japan

Bpp

Japan appears to be very expensive place to live.
How do salaries compare?

I would think one would need 1 1/2 times that of a NYC or San Francisco salary to maintain a similar lifstyle.

 

[template]

Don't forget that property taxes vary wildly in different areas. I paid about $6,300 last year. The govmint guestimated the fair market value of my house and property at about $265,000.

BTW, milk costs $1.89 to $2.29 a gallon at local discount stores. I pay $15/month for DSL Internet service.

 

[wabmester]

Did you happen to notice that gas is $2.00/gal higher than in the US?  Happy to pay a little more for access vs. a lot more for transportation..

Honestly, I think the US (and the world) would be a better place if we slapped a national $2/gallon tax on gas.

Anyway, here's what our trusty government thinks about the average price of some of these goods (and how they've changed over the year):

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?ap

 

[bpp]

Hi GTM,

Japan appears to be very expensive place to live.
How do salaries compare?

That is a difficult question to get data on. I've seen numbers that suggest anywhere from about the same as in the US to about 1.5 times higher than in the US. There are so many definitions to choose from, it is hard to tell what is really comparable.

I would think one would need 1 1/2 times that of a NYC or San Francisco salary to maintain a similar lifstyle.

Depends on what you consume, of course. The beer tax is very high, but sake and shochu are relatively cheap. There is also happoshu, a pseudo-beer with reduced hops to avoid the beer tax, which costs about the same as Bud, and tastes about the same... . (In fact someone I know, who likes happoshu but doesn't like "real beer," recently announced that they had finally found a beer that they like: Bud!)

Brewing one's own green tea is much cheaper than buying bottled tea or Coke. And gas is expensive, but I expect that the average daily commute is a lot shorter in Japan than it is in the US.

Like living in NYC, SF or Honolulu, one finds ways to manage.

Bpp

 

[uncledrz]

A gallon of regular gas. 2.63
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola. 1.09
High speed internet service. 14.95
6 pack of Bud. Don’t drink bud
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year) 3.00
An oil change for you car. 18.95
Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it) 1.50

Upper midwest

 

[Outtahere]

A gallon of regular gas.      2.63 (this morning who knows tomorrow)
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola.      1.29
High speed internet service.       46.95 (cable internet) but another $65 for the cable)
6 pack of Bud.         Don’t drink beer so I have no clue
Dry clean a pair of pants No clue here either
An oil change for you car.       21.95
Bus or subway fare 1.25 Subway, 8.00 one way from my town to work on commuter train.

North of Boston

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Some relocate in ER to lower expenses. I think the biggest factor in different areas of the country or the world is home prices and rents.
I am not sure if there is a real big difference in everyday or frequent expenses.

To make a comparison how much does it cost you for

A gallon of regular gas. - $2.69
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola. - (50c Thanks Wall Mart)
High speed internet service. - (Nothing included in Rent)
6 pack of Bud. - (Don't drink the crap, but what I do is about $5.99 for an average bottle of wine)
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year) - $1.99
An oil change for you car. - $14.95
Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it) No Idea

Rent - $800 per month. 3 Bedroom Waterfront Condo in Northeast Florida, All inclusive, yes including cable internet. All we pay extra is the phone. (This is my point from a previous post. It is cheaper to rent right now than buy)

Add the area you live in if you wish.

As mentioned Northeast Florida Jacksonville area.

SWR

 

[HFWR]

A gallon of regular gas.     $2.75
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola.     Buy 12pks on sale for $3
High speed internet service.     $45 but bitched and paying $25 for now
6 pack of Bud.     Bug spray? $6-7
Dry clean a pair of pants     Don't own any pants...
An oil change for you car.        $20-30
Bus or subway fare     $2.50 for day pass

Property taxes     $2.53/$1000
HO Ins     $910
Elec     $0.12 Kwh
NG     $10.31 MCF

Plano, TX (DFW)

 

[Bourne]

A gallon of regular gas.      2.46 ( Costco - Last time I filled it. I work four blocks away. DW has a 10 min commute.  )
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola. - Don't drink it.
High speed internet service.                   14.95 - SBC Yahoo
6 pack of Bud.         Don’t drink bud. Average price of bottle of wine -  10-15
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year) 3.75
An oil change for you car.  24.95 ( can get it for cheaper. Prefer the convenience of Midas in the garage downstairs. (high rise)
Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it) 1.75  3-4 times a year tops.

Downtown Chicago

 

[Jarhead*]

As we can all see, there really isn't a great difference in the cost of living for the basics, in this country, no matter where you live.

But to use a fly-fishing term, you've got to "match the hatch".

The way you want to spend the considerable amount of extra time in retirement, in my opinion, is the most important thing when considering relocation.

Ie: My brother-in-law who recently retired continues to live in a very expensive area with his wife.
I currently live in the Sierras, and it is considered a lot less expensive. However, they, according to him spend less than we do, because he doesn't play golf or fly-fish.

Of course, with my twin "obsessions", if we would have stayed in So. Calif. it would have cost me at least, another $10,000 annually, because of the additional green fees, and having to travel at least 500 miles to get into fly-fishing country.

In my opinion, the "cost of living" index in various parts of the country are not a real good indicator on how much it's going to cost you to do the things you want to do in retirement.

It really just depends.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

As we can all see, there really isn't a great difference in the cost of living for the basics, in this country, no matter where you live.

But to use a fly-fishing term, you've got to "match the hatch".

The way you want to spend the considerable amount of extra time in retirement, in my opinion, is the most important thing when considering relocation.

Ie:  My brother-in-law who recently retired continues to live in a very expensive area with his wife.
I currently live in the Sierras, and it is considered a lot less expensive.  However, they, according to him spend less than we do, because he doesn't play golf or fly-fish.

Of course, with my twin "obsessions", if we would have stayed in So. Calif. it would have cost me at least, another $10,000 annually, because of the additional green fees, and having to travel at least 500 miles to get into fly-fishing country.

In my opinion, the "cost of living" index in various parts of the country are not a real good indicator on how much it's going to cost you to do the things you want to do in retirement.

It really just depends.

Good post! Thoughtful. BTW, I see they made a movie about you

JG

 

[Mr._johngalt]

All we pay extra is the phone. (This is my point from a previous post. It is cheaper to rent right now than buy)


SWR

Generalizing. It's only cheaper to rent in some areas, not in others.
It's always that way IMHO.

JG

 

[Outtahere]

Generalizing.  It's only cheaper to rent in some areas, not in others.
It's always that way IMHO.

JG

You've got that right... here in the Boston area rents are just out of sight. Even 40 miles outside of town they are crazy. My sister has a studio with a small bedroom, it's over a garage, she pays $1300 a month, it includes heat but that's it AND it's no palace.

 

[tryan]

A gallon of regular gas = $2.65
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola = $.99
High speed internet service = $50/mo (cable modem)
6 pack of Bud = $4
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year) = ??
An oil change for you car = $10 (materials only; do it yourself)
Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it) = $1

North of Boston

 

[peggy]

From fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada:

A gallon of regular gas. -- currently around $2.70, depending on station
A 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola. -- sale price 99 cents; typically $1.29
High speed internet service. -- basic cable plus cable modem $103 per month
6 pack of Bud. -- no idea, don't drink beer
Dry clean a pair of pants (even if it once a year) -- $4 or so, I think
An oil change for you car. -- $20
Bus or subway fare (even if you do not use it) -- last I saw, $30 for a 30 day pass; or $1.25 per direction on non-Strip routes; $2 per direction on the Strip (that's from about four years ago)

 

[Gone4Good]

New York City

A gallon of gas ~ $2.85
2 liter bottle of Coke ~ $1.39 @ the grocery store & $1.99 @ the deli
High Speed Internet - cable modem $39.99
6 pack of Bud - no clue. 6 pack of Sierra Nevada ~ $7.99
Dry clean a pair of pants - $4.00
An oil change - still covered through dealer
Subway fare - $2.00