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I doubt you've even been to Canada. Anyway my next Vacation will NOT be to the UK for your comment lol - i'll do Germany instead. Looks to be cheaper too..
In red if you're referring to my post about grocery items well no actually - that is how much I pay for those exact items week after week at etiher No Frills, Food Basics or FreshCo without having to spend my day looking for deals at all...sooooo if you pay more than that you are paying too much and shopping at the wrong place! Do you shop at Loblaws or Metro for such items? You shouldn't you're wasting your money for items you can pay for far less that are common!! Mind you I don't know the prices of goods in Gatineau vs T.O. There's a lot of competition in T.O
It seems to be that most people in North America learns as early as a child that prices in Europe are way higher than in North America. It seems to be more like a prejudice. It's similarly to the fact that most Germans think that US Americans are stupid.
This exactly, it's all about prejudices and stereotypes. I believe they know very well we are much better off in terms of working hours, paid lengthy holidays, employee rights, social security, health care, and education. So, they like to hold on to the thought that 'at least Northern America has lower cost of living' which would somewhat compensate for their other deficiencies. In reality, most Americans and Canadians don't even have passports and can't afford to travel to Europe so they have no idea what they are talking about but instead base their assumptions on poor quality websites like numbeo that just tell them what they want to hear.
This exactly, it's all about prejudices and stereotypes. I believe they know very well we are much better off in terms of working hours, paid lengthy holidays, employee rights, social security, health care, and education. So, they like to hold on to the thought that 'at least Northern America has lower cost of living' which would somewhat compensate for their other deficiencies. In reality, most Americans and Canadians don't even have passports and can't afford to travel to Europe so they have no idea what they are talking about but instead base their assumptions on poor quality websites like numbeo that just tell them what they want to hear.
Hold on....so Europe is both cheaper and has higher quality then North America?
Well, I'm moving to Europe pronto, sounds like paradise.
Not sure if it's a "stereotype" but I always thought,
North America = cheaper less quality.
Europe = higher quality, more expensive.
That Europeans are willing to pay a little more for higher quality.
Maybe not all Europeans but at least the more affluent, like Germans, Swiss, Belgians, etc.
North American mentality is more, lowest price please, and who cares if it's no good in two years.
Maybe that is a stereotypical view, but remember there is always some truth in stereotypes,
they are made up out of thin air, usually just a gross exaggeration of the truth.
Hold on....so Europe is both cheaper and has higher quality then North America?
Well, I'm moving to Europe pronto, sounds like paradise.
I think it depends mostly on your individual preferences. For example I would compare rents for appartements (50m²-70m") in my hometown Düsseldorf to comparable cities in the U.S., Boston or maybe Atlanta for example. But rents for equal sized appartements in those cities are mostly 2-4 times more expensive than in Düsseldorf.
An American by contrast would probably compare the rent for a large house, maybe 250m². The rent for such a house in a residential area of Düsseldorf is between 2,500 and 4,000 Euro per month, probably 3 times more than a equal sized house in the US will cost.
From my point of view the U.S. seems to be very expensive. Most Americans think exactly the contrary. I think it's very logical that the other side of the Atlantic Ocean is always more expensive if you want to retain your lifestyle. That's probably the reason why it is impossible to compare the price levels.
Quote:
Not sure if it's a "stereotype" but I always thought,
North America = cheaper less quality.
Europe = higher quality, more expensive.
That Europeans are willing to pay a little more for higher quality.
Maybe not all Europeans but at least the more affluent, like Germans, Swiss, Belgians, etc.
North American mentality is more, lowest price please, and who cares if it's no good in two years.
Maybe that is a stereotypical view, but remember there is always some truth in stereotypes,
they are made up out of thin air, usually just a gross exaggeration of the truth.
What I have ovserved so far, there is a lot of truth in it. In the U.S. everything seems to be bigger and larger, but often poorly build. I am sure that there are a lot of people in Germany that would prefer to live in the U.S. and vice versa.
Where do you get more for your money? Probably there where the efficiency is higher. But is it possible to measure efficiency? Many foreigners claim that Germany is very efficient, but is the german way to build a house efficient? 10 U.S. construction workers build probably 3 times more cubature than 10 german construction workers. Is it possible to measure the efficiency of the public service? As far as I know the U.S. has about 50% more public service employees per capita than Germany, but is the quality of public service in the U.S. better than in Germany? I doubt it strongly. A lot of U.S. supermarkets are 24/7 opened, that leeds of course to higer costs, but that offers additional shopping opportunities.
Both prices and quality are very difficult to compare. Statistical authorities try to compare prices, that's their job, but does it makes sense to compare prices from goods with different qualities, for example fences, windows or grills?
This thread is just know sinking to new levels of absurdity lol... At first it was about what is generally cheaper Canada or W. European countries.. then the U.S is brought into the picture and is accused of building poor quality houses and the like (Nonsense!) and NOW North Americans are prejudiced against Europeans and are taught to be such from a young age...lol... do people really think this in real life...
So Western Europe is cheaper than North America now?
I think Germany is one of the cheaper W. European countries.. cheaper than Canada and the U.S... not so sure!
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