You think your grocery and gas bill is expensive in the U.S.?

I was thinking about our 'world economy' and how the U.S. economy is so 'dark and gloomy'. Gas prices are high, your grocery bill has gone up, a gallon and milk costs just as much as a gallon of gas, you hear words like 'inflation' and 'recession' and your savings every month is a bit smaller and you don't eat out as much. Oh, and lets blame is on the government while we are thinking of it.

Now, having traveled to about 8 countries in the past year and living overseas I get to hear about what is happening outside the U.S. in the local media. Guess what....every single country is having the same issues. It is not just the U.S., in fact, I would still say that the U.S. if affected very minimally compared to the rest of the world. Just to give you an idea on how CHEAP the U.S. is I will lay out a few examples. I will speak mostly about Singapore prices which are a fair representation of the rest of the developed countries (except for rent is a bit higher in Singapore). So relax, have some faith in the U.S. of A. You are doing better than you think!

I have converted all prices to U.S. dollars with a very favorable exchange rate as the US Dollar has seen about a 15% gain on almost all foreign currencies in the last 45 days which is very big. So right now, my U.S. dollar buys me about 15% more than what it did when we moved here. (No Jenna, this does not mean you get to do 15% more shopping.)

Gas (per gallon)
U.S. - $4.00
Sing- $6.00 (most of Europe is a bit higher)

Milk (per gallon)
U.S. - $4.00
Sing- $7.08

Rent/Mortgage (per month)
U.S. - $1,500 (approximate mortgage on a 2,000 sq ft home)
Sing - $1,400 (for our 450 sq ft 1 BR apt. Most expats pay about $3,500 for a 3 BR apt)

Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream (per 'little container' - 1 pint)
U.S. - $4.00
Sing- $9.91

1 lb of Ground Beef
U.S. - $4.50
Sing - $8.75

Now, there are some stuff that is cheaper here in Singapore mainly seafood and vegetables. I hate seafood cause that is just gross. If you don't believe me, just look at the Octopus picture Jenna is eating below.

Lastly, for those of you who do not like to read blogs but just looks at pictures (...Moe), I came across this today. It just goes to show you how others view you versus rest of the world. It is an interesting perspective on how 2 people can differ in opinion but still be correct -- it all depends on the perspective.

This is an Australian Map of the World

(for the bigger picture click the link)

http://flourish.org/upsidedownmap/rotatedmap-large.jpg