Are we Australians paying way too much?

Gentle_Chief

Gentle_Chief

For the record I am in the US now on a 3 week Business Analysis trip. To my shock and amazement, everything in the USA is far too cheap!! And better quality!! I am just going nuts...

- A cup of Tea/Coffee - USD 1.09 (yes, they will give you exactly 91 cents back if you give them USD 2.00)
- A can of Coke/Pepsi - USD 0.50
- I can have a burger meal for USD 3.00 from any of the major burger joints and if I did Tacos instead I could further shave it down to just 2 bucks (try out the Chicken Burrito meal from Taco Bell's with coke & chips). Yes 2 bucks!
- Clothes & designer wear is dirt cheap
- Anything in Walmart so inexpenisve and great quality (not our K-Mart stuff)
- Walk into Homedepot (Australia's Bunning's equivalent) and I am just amazed at their price & quality
- A 700 ml of Jack Daniels is USD 20 (In Australia, on a good day I can buy it for USD 40 equivalent)
- Cars are 15-25% cheaper - try out any car!! (including the Australian built vehicles)
- And the list goes on and on, in every department!
- And I don't know one thing where we can be cheaper..... no not even in Australian bred lamb - it is cheaper here in the US compared to our Coles/Woolies prices :eek:

Are we as a nation getting more & more un-competitive?

Heard the last week the electricians, plumbers & welders (about 100 of them) in a mining project in QLD refused to show up on the weekend inspite of being offered aud 2550 per person for just 8 hours work on Saturday & 5 hours work on Sunday.

In the US, that is more than a months wages for most electricians.

I know our minimum wages of 16.50 (compared to the 7.50 in the US) is giving us a better quality of life. No doubt. But is this sustainable in the long run? Will we protect our jobs at all costs, and then let the unions run amuck squeezing every corporate, and we inturn keep getting protectionist, until our children's generation one day have to pay for it when the bubble explodes.

Are we just plain lucky (like the Saudis) that we have the resources of coal and iron-ore under our feet?

P.S: there are larger deposits of these very same resources being found in Mongolia, on the door-step of China.

Wake up now mate & God bless Australia.
 
We are a high wage nation, but also a high COST nation.

I feel ya, I went to the states two years ago and was SHOCKED by how much cheaper the food and clothing over there was. Also, the entertainment was also far cheaper than over here.

I went into an expensive clothes boutique and FILLED over 5 bags full of clothes because I couldnt believe how cheap they were compared to Sydney. Everyone in the shop thought I was rich (I certainly felt rich) and since have not bought anything else here in Australia. I am going back again this June to restock! It is cheaper to FLY OVER to the USA, restock, then to shop here in Australia.
 
I have to agree, I travelled to the U.S. regularly for over 20 years until about 5 years ago where now it's only every couple of years. It's always been that way, not just since the GFC. I love to buy clothes, and you can compare the same item, such as Levi's jeans here and over there, the difference is insane. Surely the cost difference can't all come down to shipping. When I was there in June last year I paid full price for a pair and they were $39U.S., the same pair here were $120!
 
"Are we Australians paying way too much?"

Depends. Dont forget the US has a much higher population and with high unemployment things have got to be cheap.

Yeah, Australia is expensive but we dont have the high crime rate, we have better working conditions in general, less poverty, less people living in cardboard boxes, long term unemployment benefits, medicare, less guns and less loonies.

Oz or US, you choose.
 
Gentle_Chief said:
- I can have a burger meal for USD 3.00 from any of the major burger joints and if I did Tacos instead I could further shave it down to just 2 bucks (try out the Chicken Burrito meal from Taco Bell's with coke & chips). Yes 2 bucks!

- A 700 ml of Jack Daniels is USD 20 (In Australia, on a good day I can buy it for USD 40 equivalent
.
Click to expand...
The last time i was over there Taco Bell had a lunch time special in San Jose all the the Tacos you can eat for for 2 bucks,sat there for about over 1 hour an ate over 10 tacos was funny to see the staff talking he going to eat another one,plus the "JD" made in the US is different too the "JD" they sell in the Australia,enjoy every second Australians just don't know how good they have it in Australia..
 
Yes but

There is ni way I want the us system operating here.....

They do some things really well, but healthcare and coping with homelessness is not one of them.

Its interesting to go Maccas and be served by a 65 yr old smiling face .......at least the working poor can get some work, unlike here where our wages system makes it impossible to employ older people in such low valued work.

It really isn't a simple thing is it, my view is that we do lack decent competition due to our small size economy

Ta
rolf
 
willair said:
The last time i was over there Taco Bell had a lunch time special in San Jose all the the Tacos you can eat for for 2 bucks,sat there for about over 1 hour an ate over 10 tacos was funny to see the staff talking he going to eat another one..
Click to expand...
That has made me so hungry I'm almost prepared to pay the $16 for a buritto at my local mexican restaurant tonight.. almost.. I'll prob just spend the $15 and buy the ingredients from the local IGA :(
 
Australia is sooo overpriced it makes me sick.


And for what?

Will be offloading my IP this year. lock in my profit.

Pay down PPOR and just trade the markets long and short.

The glory days of property investing are over imo.

Unless your into fixing boarded up joints Nathan style. I'd rather just short the market.
 
I was looking at importing an 07 Harley nightrain from the states as the import rules have changed.
$9,000 purchase + about $7,000 to cover transport, insurance, customs,shipping and compliance.
So for $16,000 I would have a bike registered in Australia that purchased locally would cost closer to $30,000
It's such a big ripoff in Australia that the biggest importer of grey import harleys are actually the Harley dealers themselves !!!! They can't move their Australian delivered stock because imports are so much cheaper. Half price after all import costs !!!

Yes we get ripped but as Harley have stated many times
" we charge what the market will allow"
In other words us idiots keep paying so they keep charging.

Cheers
 
I thought australia was very expensive until I spoke with my German neighbours and they told me what cost of living is there.

However he said certain things here are way more expensive. His mother just connected internet to the house which covers everything from phone, tv, skype and the rest for about $50 aus a month. That is un heard of here.
 
Dan and nan said:
I thought australia was very expensive until I spoke with my German neighbours and they told me what cost of living is there.
Click to expand...
No, Australia is much more expensive than Germany, no question.
Pint of beer in Germany $4-5, London $5, Sydney $6-8, Zurich $10.

Of course Australia seems expensive when compared to countries with massive income inequality and lower wages like the US. Prices are set at what the locals can pay.
Australian prices are closer to (though still often more than) wealthier European countries.

Australia is in the top 5 : http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp
 
Ausprop said:
standard of living measures are more important than numerical amounts.
Click to expand...

...and lets not get confused with the cost of living versus the price of living.

one is a 'need' basis, the other is a 'want' basis.

people whinge about their phone bill, but they got the latest whizz-bang iGadget with a data plan and internet connection "for free".

people whinge about their clothes prices, but wont wear a no-name brand.

people whinge about their food prices, but wont buy an apple with a few spots or a pear with a bit of a nick in it.

people whinge about meat prices, while stocking their trolley with porterhouse.
 
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