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Bosshog, really, you're claiming foodi s twice as expensive in Australia as in the US. That's not true. You're lying or just really bad at shopping. Or, as most people on here who claim this do, you moved once, never really did all the shopping yourself anyway, and assume that everything back home still costs what it did in 1995 and comes in the same size packet it did in 1995. The rest of them went on holiday and were shocked that when you buy a can of coke it's more and restaurants have prices which include paying their staff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BCC_1
You're effective tax rate on the minimum wage 40 hour week 48 weeks/year is about 7.5%, leaving $13.875/hour. And that minimum wage is for permanent employees, casual employees get a 25% casual loading in lieu of sick/holiday pay. The idea Australia is a high taxing country is nonsense.
Don't forget to include the employer contribution for health care in the US as a tax. It's roughly $2-2,500 a month for a family.
Don't forget to include the employer contribution for health care in the US as a tax. It's roughly $2-2,500 a month for a family.
Actually it's not that much if it's through the employer's contribution and it's a copay. It's the same (actually cheaper) than having private health insurance in Australia.
Having lived in both countries recently I would say it's really a wash as to cost of living. The essentials are on balance slightly cheaper in Australia but you can buy cheaper stuff in the US. For instance, grocery shopping is not that expensive at Coles and Woolies compared to say a Whole Foods or World Market as they are comparable quality. But you can go way down the chain to a Foodmart or Met Foods which are much cheaper than even Aldi. Australia doesn't have that bottom end.
PT and petrol are more expensive but then it is more accessible in Australia.
At the end of the day, yes America has economy of scale which provide a different opportunities and different costs of living. Which one is better is an individual's choice and circumstances.
Bosshog, really, you're claiming foodi s twice as expensive in Australia as in the US. That's not true. You're lying or just really bad at shopping. Or, as most people on here who claim this do, you moved once, never really did all the shopping yourself anyway, and assume that everything back home still costs what it did in 1995 and comes in the same size packet it did in 1995. The rest of them went on holiday and were shocked that when you buy a can of coke it's more and restaurants have prices which include paying their staff.
Don't forget to include the employer contribution for health care in the US as a tax. It's roughly $2-2,500 a month for a family.
i did say some things are comparable but yes food is more expensive here.. with a limited range of options...
lets look at low food cost stuff for those who dont make 200000k a week..
you can get turkey bologna for a little over 1 dollar a pound in the usa? 2ish for for a kilo.. whats does devon cost here??? in the deli its like 6-8 bucks a kilo.....bologna is basically devon in the usa and they are cheapest deli meats in both countries.... turkey is just the so called healthier option in the usa.. they also have the normal cheaper 99 cent devon aka bologna too... the cheapest devon i see in oz is packaged like a dog roll for 3-4 bucks a kilo
speaking of turkey, i saw ground (mince) turkey in aldi today for like 4 bucks for 400 or 500 grams.. depending on the fat ratio in the usa 90/10, 85/15, etc it can be less than two dollars for a roll of mince and the same weight...
lets see heb specials this week.. FRESH! Hill Country Fare Chicken.. 1 dollar a pound on legs, thighs or quarters.. so roughly 2.20 a kil..best price on chicken in oz is 2.99 a kilo from a butcher and thats for wings.. coles/aldi/woolies 3.50 minimum for wings
brand name (ramen) 2 minute noodles in usa 5 for 1 dollar
brand name (maggi) 2 minute noodles on coles online 4.35 for a 5 pack
my everyday favorite is this comparison:
Gatorade G Series 02 Perform Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher - 128 oz $3.98 (0.04 oz)
Coles gatorade.. 3.74 for 600ml or roughly 20 oz..
lets not even mention brand named soda..... hahaha.. 6.48 cent for 24 pack of coke at walmart... 30.25 at coles..
i have lived and live in both places.... you??? or did you just visit LA or NYC once and think thats all of america...
you must be a troll... 23 mil people here... 318 people there... what dont you get about purchasing power/competition/variety/regions...
i shop at aldi/woolies/coles/markets... but eh what do i know.. youre right, the cost of living is cheaper in oz.... everything is cheaper here..
Actually it's not that much if it's through the employer's contribution and it's a copay. It's the same (actually cheaper) than having private health insurance in Australia.
Having lived in both countries recently I would say it's really a wash as to cost of living. The essentials are on balance slightly cheaper in Australia but you can buy cheaper stuff in the US. For instance, grocery shopping is not that expensive at Coles and Woolies compared to say a Whole Foods or World Market as they are comparable quality. But you can go way down the chain to a Foodmart or Met Foods which are much cheaper than even Aldi. Australia doesn't have that bottom end.
PT and petrol are more expensive but then it is more accessible in Australia.
At the end of the day, yes America has economy of scale which provide a different opportunities and different costs of living. Which one is better is an individual's choice and circumstances.
i wouldnt compare coles and woolies to whole foods or say a ccentral market.... perhaps the couple of flag ships stores in oz but on avg, no way sir... on avg they probably compare to hebs, albertsons, kroger, publix etc..
Actually it's not that much if it's through the employer's contribution and it's a copay. It's the same (actually cheaper) than having private health insurance in Australia.
Having lived in both countries recently I would say it's really a wash as to cost of living. The essentials are on balance slightly cheaper in Australia but you can buy cheaper stuff in the US. For instance, grocery shopping is not that expensive at Coles and Woolies compared to say a Whole Foods or World Market as they are comparable quality. But you can go way down the chain to a Foodmart or Met Foods which are much cheaper than even Aldi. Australia doesn't have that bottom end.
PT and petrol are more expensive but then it is more accessible in Australia.
At the end of the day, yes America has economy of scale which provide a different opportunities and different costs of living. Which one is better is an individual's choice and circumstances.
No, I'm not talking about the amount you pay out of pocket each month (usually $300 or so). This is the amount the employer pays and you never see. Some employers give you a statement of how much the insurance costs them.
The problem with buying groceries at an Aldi or Stop and Shop type of place (which still cost more than in Australia) is that they rot very quickly and you end up wasting a lot. The taste can also be really bad. My personal stupidity is to often walk into the discount place where I buy milk, see that they have cheap blueberries and buy some, then get home and discover they're only good for baking, and even then not great. And even then the price is still usually more than in Australia. Before I left Australia I had no idea potatoes could rot, and I had never ever had to pick over rotten food to find what I wanted to buy. And even then, it's still more expensive!
Bosshog, could you please use conventional grammar and punctuation? It's painful to try and read with those crazy ellipsis/comma hybrid things.
You shouldn't be drinking soft drinks and gatoraid, so yes, it's right to tax them. It helps everyone have a better diet, and raises money. Same reasoning behind taxing cigarettes and alcohol heavily.
For a start, you obviously haven't clued in to buying locally popular foods for a better deal. Turkey is a seasonal food in Australia, don't attempt to buy it every week. There isn't the market. Also, comparing Maggi 2 min noodles to the junky base level ramen is dishonest.
Secondly, your supposed comparison of chicken neglects the exchange rate. It also neglects taste and animal welfare. That "cheap" chicken in the US tastes like polystyrene and is raised in an unsustainable system of indebted farmers and minimum wage workers. For the 20 cents per pound difference (assuming 1:1 exchange rate) the Australian product is doing amazingly well. I actually think you were surprised yourself at how close those two prices were. It's hard to remember a kilo is 2.2, not 2 pounds, isn't it? My first supermarket trip in the US, I just bought whatever because the prices looked low. Until I saw the $80 price tag for fruit and veg. And then, of course you discover that even carefully watching the price you'll never have that experience you have in Australia of walking into the fruit and veg shop with $30 and walking out with a week's worth of food.
I notice you include mostly processed food in your comparison. How about comparing real food, a real shopping list of bread, fruit and veg and dairy. Cheese, for example...
The problem with claiming economies of scale for food is that with a very limited growing area in the US and a massive population to feed, the US is forced to move food massive distances to supply people, and that's expensive. No matter how much asparagus or grapes you squeeze into a plane from Chile it's still going to have to sell for enough to cover the cost of the fuel. In Australia the climate is more conducive to growing, so transport costs are way lower and the number of mouths to feed is lower.
Bosshog, could you please use conventional grammar and punctuation? It's painful to try and read with those crazy ellipsis/comma hybrid things.
You shouldn't be drinking soft drinks and gatoraid, so yes, it's right to tax them. It helps everyone have a better diet, and raises money. Same reasoning behind taxing cigarettes and alcohol heavily.
For a start, you obviously haven't clued in to buying locally popular foods for a better deal. Turkey is a seasonal food in Australia, don't attempt to buy it every week. There isn't the market. Also, comparing Maggi 2 min noodles to the junky base level ramen is dishonest.
Secondly, your supposed comparison of chicken neglects the exchange rate. It also neglects taste and animal welfare. That "cheap" chicken in the US tastes like polystyrene and is raised in an unsustainable system of indebted farmers and minimum wage workers. For the 20 cents per pound difference (assuming 1:1 exchange rate) the Australian product is doing amazingly well. I actually think you were surprised yourself at how close those two prices were. It's hard to remember a kilo is 2.2, not 2 pounds, isn't it? My first supermarket trip in the US, I just bought whatever because the prices looked low. Until I saw the $80 price tag for fruit and veg. And then, of course you discover that even carefully watching the price you'll never have that experience you have in Australia of walking into the fruit and veg shop with $30 and walking out with a week's worth of food.
I notice you include mostly processed food in your comparison. How about comparing real food, a real shopping list of bread, fruit and veg and dairy. Cheese, for example...
The problem with claiming economies of scale for food is that with a very limited growing area in the US and a massive population to feed, the US is forced to move food massive distances to supply people, and that's expensive. No matter how much asparagus or grapes you squeeze into a plane from Chile it's still going to have to sell for enough to cover the cost of the fuel. In Australia the climate is more conducive to growing, so transport costs are way lower and the number of mouths to feed is lower.
i know never u's goodz grammarz ever.
you're a joke, really.... you are.
i give you examples and you deflect.... oh no u's ppl dont needs to be drinking such and such... etc.. so dat y it b mo expensive... blah blah blah... yeah 4 to 5 times more expensive is still cheaper..wait til you getz yo 20% sugar taxxxxxxxxxx in da future....
speak about low cost labor its...cool... deys gotz to make a living... offering LOWER PRICES..... but eh cost of living in oz is cheaper overall... get reals.......4 gotz u be a troll..
ramen usa brand is far superior to maggi.... blah blah blah
animal welfare???? apparently you never been to all dah pull tree farms here???
i put the 2.2 in a conversion for yous.. you know the dollar to 2.20 for a kilosss....apparently yous comprehensions is more bad than my grammrz...,,..
30 dollars for a whole week of veg????? this cant be done in the usa??? you must be smokin sumin... i use to eat on 30 bucks a week... 6 meals a day... when me uneducated no grammar self trained fo expensive american sports events.... the week included 24 eggs (about 2 bucks n sum change) 14 or so chicken breasts. they were split-bone in for 1 dollar a pound... turkey mince.....veggies.. beans..rice..pasta.... yogurt...handful of almonds...canned tuna... huge bag of seeded sunflower seeds...etc etc....
No, I'm not talking about the amount you pay out of pocket each month (usually $300 or so). This is the amount the employer pays and you never see. Some employers give you a statement of how much the insurance costs them.
The problem with buying groceries at an Aldi or Stop and Shop type of place (which still cost more than in Australia) is that they rot very quickly and you end up wasting a lot. The taste can also be really bad. My personal stupidity is to often walk into the discount place where I buy milk, see that they have cheap blueberries and buy some, then get home and discover they're only good for baking, and even then not great. And even then the price is still usually more than in Australia. Before I left Australia I had no idea potatoes could rot, and I had never ever had to pick over rotten food to find what I wanted to buy. And even then, it's still more expensive!
i get it... youve never been to oz.... you say you left... truth is, you were never here...
i give you examples and you deflect.... oh no u's ppl dont needs to be drinking such and such... etc.. so dat y it b mo expensive... blah blah blah... yeah 4 to 5 times more expensive is still cheaper..wait til you getz yo 20% sugar taxxxxxxxxxx in da future....
speak about low cost labor its...cool... deys gotz to make a living... offering LOWER PRICES..... but eh cost of living in oz is cheaper overall... get reals.......4 gotz u be a troll..
ramen usa brand is far superior to maggi.... blah blah blah
animal welfare???? apparently you never been to all dah pull tree farms here???
i put the 2.2 in a conversion for yous.. you know the dollar to 2.20 for a kilosss....apparently yous comprehensions is more bad than my grammrz...,,..
30 dollars for a whole week of veg????? this cant be done in the usa??? you must be smokin sumin... i use to eat on 30 bucks a week... 6 meals a day... when me uneducated no grammar self trained fo expensive american sports events.... the week included 24 eggs (about 2 bucks n sum change) 14 or so chicken breasts. they were split-bone in for 1 dollar a pound... turkey mince.....veggies.. beans..rice..pasta.... yogurt...handful of almonds...canned tuna... huge bag of seeded sunflower seeds...etc etc....
Really, without grammar your posts are unreadable. But I'd love to see you buy a week's worth of veggies for $30 in the US. No frozen, not all carrots, and feeding all four people at home every day.
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