I guess if you lived in Japan then 1 Yen would equal 1 US$ or in Mexico then 1 peso would equal 1 US$.

I DON"T GET IT EITHER!!!!

I take what he is saying as...if you get paid in dollars, then you are used to seeing/paying for goods in dollars, if you get paid in pounds (live in the UK) then same goes there with pounds. COL= cost of living, the cost of goods usually reflects the median wage for the area, so in a cheaper area in the US/UK you can usually buy goods for less than expensive ritzy areas

That's exactly what I thought and he is right. You can't judge what is cheaper or more expensive if you are not earning that currency and living there.

I've always tried to learn the rudiments, (ie hello, goodbye, please, thank you )of the language of the country I was visiting, even if only for a week. The natives do seem to appreciate it, probably gives them a good laugh.

Couldn't quite crack Malta though.

Yes -- we spent a week in Poland last year. I'm afraid I just spoke English or resorted to sign language. My wife made an effort to ask folks how to say please, thank you and a few other simple words, then she practised those on other people. Folks in shops, museums, train conductors etc. seemed to really appreciate it.

We're not talking those countries are we though. For the UK and EU in general, a 1:1 is a pretty good rule of thumb.

It's not complicated.

Your not a tourist, stop thinking like one.

I don't see what that has to do with tourism. Someone living in Manchester won't accept a job in London unless there is a large salary increase. The same is true in the states where people won't accept a job in NYC or the Silicon Valley unless they get a big increase in salary.

The same is true between countries in that there has to be a way to compare prices.

I guess that to make the comparison meaningful you would have to factor in what the average wage is, so for instance if the average wage is higher in that particular part of the U.S is say $35,000 and the wage in the U.K is £24,000 then the $50-£50 t-shirt is going to be more affordable than the £50 one. But that won't really be adequate because you would need to look at the whole cost of living to get a accurate picture - i.e how much the average person gets shafted under the different systems. I'd try and work it out but it would make my brain hurt.

I thought that is what I said? (tried to say)

You did I don't understand why people don't get what Bob is saying, he didn't even use any bobisms

Ah yes, that is what you said. Sorry I must have skim read it.

must be the 'Americanisms'

ISTR Maltese is similar to Italian, so if you know Italian you could just about get by. But everyone speaks English as well which is handy. Nice place.