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I don't know how Aldi Süd stores looks like in Ireland. But the stores of Aldi-Süd in Germany looks quite good. The stores of Aldi-Nord looks like warehouses, Aldi-Nord is much worse than Aldi-Süd. Aldi-Süd operates in West and South Germany and in Suisse, Austria, Slovenia, UK, Ireland, USA and Australia. I can't find a video of Aldi Süd stores in Germany, I have found a video of Aldi Hofer in Austria, that's Aldi-Süd and these stores looks really the same than Aldi-Süd stores in Germany:
The new one looks better than at this picture, it's really nice.
I know nothing about the architecture of Aldi or Lidl stores in Ireland. But I like the architecture of Aldi stores in the UK. They look really great compared to those in Germany.
In the last years Aldi-Süd and Lidl have invest a lot of money to refurbish their stores in Germany. Aldi-Nord have start to refurbish their stores, too, but I have never seen a new one.
i checked out the video you link first , thats petty much identical to the lidl and aldi stores in ireland , i see nothing wrong with it , i dont need music in the backround while im buying groceries
i love aldi and lidl , especially aldi , i trust it way ahead of tesco which while having a much larger range , often has average quality veg and fruit etc
That's completely nonsense. The cheapest coffee in the USA at grocery stores is the Aldi-Kaffee ;-). Aldi sells this coffee for 4,99 USD per 17,6 oz (500g). The coffee is produced in Germany. This coffee cost 2,79 Euro or 3,85 USD in Germany. In contrast to the USA almost all grocery stores in Germany offers a 500g package of coffee for 2,79 Euro. Coffee and tea are much more expensive in the USA than in Germany.
I agree with this and the rest of your post. Americans who claim they lived in Germany or Europe have a completely distorted view on things like food prices or overall costs of living. I don't remember the exact details but most things like bread or vegetables we paid around 3 - 5 $ for in the US cost around 0.5 to 2 euros over here. And Germany is even cheaper than the Netherlands, we often go there for shopping. The difference is so large it isn't even worth the discussion.
And somehow Americans seem unable to comprehend that although fuel prices are twice as high over here, when we have to drive 5 - 10 times less because everything is close or even in walking distance we are still better off. I have times when I don't use my car for weeks.
The only reason I can think of except for intentionally misrepresenting things, is that some Americans may live an expat life style in high-end apartments in downtown London, Paris or Zurich, go out to eat everyday, etc. Then Europe can get really expensive.
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Without knowing what you did in the USA or wherever you live now,
and also not knowing what you will be earning and where you will be living,
it is hard to compare what the difference really is.
I always figure how long do I have to work for any item I want to buy.
I lived in Germany in the 80's and found that the difference was
(overall) 1,8 times as much as in the USA.
What it is today ? Only if you know what everything costs in Germany,
and then compare how long you would be working for each item, then you can compare.
So forget what posters do here by showing what Aldi is all about etc,
but create a list of say 20 items,
and then ask whoever lives in the area where you would be working,
how much those items cost in Germany.
Then compare with the cost you have *at home now*.
But do it like I suggested *How long do you work for it !*
I really doubt if you would be earning the same amount !
The best are the little corner shops that sell produce for costs so low that I can't even comprehend - compared to standard supermarkets. Not sure if that exists in the USA (bodega?) but they were everywhere in Madrid and in smatterings around Germany.
I always figure how long do I have to work for any item I want to buy.
Everyone has a feeling for money that depends on how much he earns. There is no need to calculate how many minutes I have to work for an package of coffee or something else.
Quote:
What it is today ? Only if you know what everything costs in Germany,
and then compare how long you would be working for each item, then you can compare.
No, because the composition of your spendings in Germany will be very different from which you are use to in the US.
Quote:
So forget what posters do here by showing what Aldi is all about etc,
but create a list of say 20 items,
and then ask whoever lives in the area where you would be working,
how much those items cost in Germany.
That doesn't makes sense. Spendings for utilities are important for example, but only to say, they are 3 times more expensive than in the US is foolish, because you will never use so much energy or water than in the US.
The average american household spends 3648 USD for utilities in 2012.
The average german household spends 152 Euro per month (2011). That's 1824 Euro or a 2517 USD per year. As far as I know the average size of an american household is 2.5 persons vs 2.2 persons in Germany.
Hi there,
I was wondering if people who live in Germany can share some facts about COL in Germany, excluding price to rent/buy housing which is easy to find online.
For exampe in US I spent per 1 person / month:
1. Meals - $420. I mostly eat organic and healthy food. I eat out only a few times a month.
2. Gas - $100, around 300 miles/m.
3. Health insurance - $0. Thats taken out of your paycheck (about 8% of your monthly paycheck) unless you decide to private insure, than it depends on your health.
4. Utilities (heat/cool, Internet, cell phone) - $230 Utilities are expensive in Germany, I pay about $160 for energy and natural gas alone.
5. Car insurance - $120. Depends on the car and your driving record.
6. Basic clothing - $200
7. Other - $100
8. Rent - I pay about $600 for a 800 square foot apartment.
--------------------------
Total: $1730
How would this look like for a average size city in Germany?
Does Germany has something similar to 401K in the US?
What would be net income from salary of 70K euros?
Well, I guess I'm your average German in his mid 20's, make about $70K as well.
You will see about $40K after taxes, health care and social security being deducted from your paycheck every month. So your monthly budget will be something about $3300.
The 401K kind of exist in Germany. Some employers offer it, most don't. I don't use it. Most employers offers other tax free incentives if you don't want to invest into an corporate pension plan.
Do you drive an 18 wheeler? $200 month in gas driving only 300 miles?
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