asking about dc, a lot of u.s. americans gave me apart from recommendations for sight-seeing two things to think of: that it has one of the highest crime rates and is one of the most expensive cities in the united states.
nobody warned me the two would come combined.
that crime is not far away, i just experienced a few weeks ago. think shooting outside a supermarket (ironically called safeway).
that prices are definitely higher than in chronically depressed appalachia* my wallet experiences weekly. think squishy so-called bread for $4/€2.70 inside.
here are some basic items on my shopping list as bought in a non-fancy supermarket in a non-fancy area (think shooting). even when going for the cheapest brand of each item, only a customer card issued by the supermarket (i have a whole collection by now) pushes the prices into a somewhat decent range.
- 1 whole wheat toast-style bread $3.99 or €2.68
- 1 fresh mozzarella ball (they are a bit bigger than in germany): $3 or €2
(with card, regular $4.49 or €3) - a jar of spaghetti sauce: $2 or €1.34
(with card, regular $3.34 or €2.22) - 1 kg white flour store brand: $1.69 or €1.13
- red seedless grapes: $2.48/lb or €1.66/Pfund
(with card, regular $4.25/lb or €2.85/Pfund - 1 pound swiss cheese: $4.49/lb or €3/Pfund
- 1 cucumber (shorter than in germany): $0.99 or €0.66
- 6 large eggs, store brand: $1.19 or €0.80
- 1 pound bananas: $0.58/lb or €0.39
- 1% milk lucerne brand: $1.99/2 liter or €1.34
(with card, regular $2.49 or €1.67) - 1 avocado: $1.99 or €1.34
- a package of mushrooms: $1.50 or €1
all computations are based on the exchange rate of october 17, 2009 of $1 equaling €0.67 or €1 equaling $1.4906 according to the frankfurt stock exchange.
think christmas candy ;-)
*in u.s. american stereotypical thinking appalachia -- a region that parallels the east coast along the appalachian mountain range reaching from pennsylvania in the north to part of alabama in the south and huddles south east ohio and pretty much all of west virginia in the middle -- conjures up specters of poverty visualized on tv as toddlers with rotting teeth due to too much coca cola in baby bottles, children in rags, alcoholic parents, and jokes about incest.
Posts
5 comments:
I'm pretty sure it's still cheaper to shop for groceries than in Germany - but of course I don't like getting food to often at Lidl or Aldi, they both seem too messy.
It seems pretty reasonable for a big city. I think other large US cities have an even higher cost of living. It is too bad that good bread is not sold in most US supermarkets. The LaBrea bread is sold in some supermarkets in DC if I recall but still costs more than at discount chains such as CostCo. It is not bad for a national chain and has the strategy of cooking the bread partially before distribution so it can finish baking and be served fresh in the stores.
Hi Kathy, thank you for your comment. As a background, Kathy is a U.S. engineer currently living in Germany. I can understand your attitude towards Aldi and Lidl but a lot of Germans, who are not necessarily poor, do like to go there for stable foods. The messiest part is the vegetable and fruit section, I agree there. It is funny that in the U.S. going to Aldi is seen as something low. I actually wrote a post about shopping at Aldi before. Here is the link: http://iamericansequel.blogspot.com/2008/02/to-aldi.html
To Jerone: Chains such as CostCo are not accessible to everyone. Especially people without a car and who do not want to pay a membership fee. So that is only an option for some of us.
Post a Comment