Cost of Living
#1
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2002
Location: Atlanta via Dubai, Belgium, Greece, Saudi Arabia
Posts: 953
Cost of Living
While surfing I came across this site which offers cost of living for many US cities and if required you can compare other cities around the world against the US city you are thinking of moving to.
I am not sure how the comparison works but the costs for my current city are pretty accurate based on personal experience.
I just put it out there feel free to take a look and draw your own conclusions.
Mods if this would be a useful tool to others please move it where it may get more traffic and offer others a comparison tool ahead of making the big move.
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...=United+States
I am not sure how the comparison works but the costs for my current city are pretty accurate based on personal experience.
I just put it out there feel free to take a look and draw your own conclusions.
Mods if this would be a useful tool to others please move it where it may get more traffic and offer others a comparison tool ahead of making the big move.
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living...=United+States
#2
Re: Cost of Living
It's a bit hit or miss.
Only a few spots in MA, not really covering the burbs.
Costing is on the mark for a few things in both Ashland and Boston, but well off the mark for housing and grocery costs for a lot of stuff.
Only a few spots in MA, not really covering the burbs.
Costing is on the mark for a few things in both Ashland and Boston, but well off the mark for housing and grocery costs for a lot of stuff.
#3
Re: Cost of Living
I looked up my city of Mesa, AZ. This is what it said about gas:
Gasoline (1 liter) 0.97 $
I know THAT's not right!!! Gas is about $3.69 a gallon. Where they got .97 I'll never know.
The other problem I see is that they are listing things in liters and meters, such as this:
Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 281.52 $
I have no idea how large an 85m2 apartment would be, so I can't tell if $281 is correct for utilities or not. My condo is $1,000 SF, and I can tell you my electric bill is WAY less than that, it ranges from $40 to $80 per month, depending on the season. No gas in my place. Water and garbage are taken care of by the association (which, if this is an apartment they are talking about, I would assume also included in rent cost).
So yeah, not the most reliable, that I can see.
Rene
Gasoline (1 liter) 0.97 $
I know THAT's not right!!! Gas is about $3.69 a gallon. Where they got .97 I'll never know.
The other problem I see is that they are listing things in liters and meters, such as this:
Basic (Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment 281.52 $
I have no idea how large an 85m2 apartment would be, so I can't tell if $281 is correct for utilities or not. My condo is $1,000 SF, and I can tell you my electric bill is WAY less than that, it ranges from $40 to $80 per month, depending on the season. No gas in my place. Water and garbage are taken care of by the association (which, if this is an apartment they are talking about, I would assume also included in rent cost).
So yeah, not the most reliable, that I can see.
Rene
#4
Re: Cost of Living
But generally yes, quoting in metric isn't that helpful.
#5
Re: Cost of Living
85m2= 915 square feet.
#6
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Cost of Living
The LA one had a few gaps '?'.
The problem with these things is, the price of cappucinos and Levis is pretty meaningless, and rent varies too much between areas within a city to mean much.
#7
Re: Cost of Living
Still a handy, simplified base line I guess, but would be good if there was the ability to flip between imperial/metric for the missmash of measurements.
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2010
Location: Temecula, CA
Posts: 4,759
Re: Cost of Living
Some items picked for measurement are a little odd. Like 0.3l bottles of coke - pretty rare in the UK and Europe too I think. A can of coke is more common I would have thought.
I'm wondering how they come up with the figures for prices reported over a period of time. For example, if somebody posts $5 for something a year ago and it's now $10, does the price come up as the average of the two - ie $7.50 - or what?