dChan
Anonymous ID: 066232 Aug. 19, 2023, 12:19 a.m. No.19386645   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6649 >>6767 >>6810

>>19386635

>>19386478

>Maybe try living in Russia.

 

'' Stunningly Low Prices – A Visit to an Average Russian Supermarket''

theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/08/17/stunningly-low-prices-a-visit-to-an-average-russian-supermarket

August 18, 2023

 

I wouldn’t normally write a post like this, but WE ARE NOT going to find this level of ground reporting anywhere in U.S. media. As you might be aware, I have been doing extensive research on the Russian economy specifically on the outcome of Western sanctions.

 

In his video, a Youtuber I follow visited a local supermarket, similar to a WalMart Super Center to share information for his USA followers.

 

Dima Dear, a remarkably nice young man, lives in St. Petersburg, Russia (formerly Leningrad), and he shares various experiences with his audience at their request. There is a lot of U.S. interest as people following his story are starting to realize life in Russia is not what Western media portray.

 

If you are familiar with U.S. grocery prices, what Dima shares in this ground report is stunning from a U.S. perspective. If you watch this live stream, remember that 100 rubles equals $1.00. 350 rubles is $3.50. Additionally for weighted products 1kg equals 2.2 lbs. So generally speaking, if something is 100 rubles/kg it is $1 for two pounds.

 

Example from the video:

 

•Lean ground beef at 329 rubles/kg is less than $1.65/lb.

•Bacon at 250 rubles/kg is less than $1.25/lb.

•20 eggs are 139 rubles or $1.39.

•Boneless skinless chicken breast $4 for 4lbs.

•Typical Bagged salad mixes .79¢ each. etc.

 

The wild part is that in Russia they are getting worried these prices are too high.

 

https://youtu.be/UuPs5HZFpRs

 

The average rent for a nicely furnished 2-bedroom modern apartment in St Pete Russia is around $500/month. Something akin to downtown Manhattan. Including rent, utilities, food, transportation, personal items, and purchases, a Russian citizen can live very comfortably, remarkably comfortably, on an income of around $1,200 to $1,500/month, in downtown St. Pete which is considered a more expensive place to live.

 

Put that into a USA middle-class perspective and evaluate the impact of Western sanctions against the average Russian cost of living.

 

100 rubles = $1.00

 

 

.

Anonymous ID: 066232 Aug. 19, 2023, 12:23 a.m. No.19386655   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6657 >>6662

Grocery Costs in Mexico – How Expensive is Mexico

 

slowpoketravel.com/grocery-costs-in-mexico

 

January 10, 2020

 

How expensive is Mexico?

Here is a look at our grocery costs in Guadalajara, Mexico. We don’t drive or take taxis, so we mostly shop at nearby grocery stores where we can conveniently walk. We did most of our shopping at Soriana, a chain grocery store in central Mexico. At local street markets and smaller groceries, you can also shop and find items at lower costs.

 

Grocery Costs in Mexico

https://youtu.be/HoM6dGePdTw

In Mexico, we mostly shop at larger grocery stores for the convenience. The prices are still great compared to what we’re used to paying in the US. However, if you buy imported items, expect to pay about the same or even higher prices. The Ramen noodles bought at the Soriana grocery were similarly priced to what we would pay in the US.

 

Also, if you’re shopping at a larger grocery store in Mexico, you may see older folks or kids at the register bagging your groceries. These individuals work for tips, so if you buy enough groceries to appreciate the bagging service, then be sure to have cash for a tip.

 

CG and I are traveling long term in Mexico, but we only carry the things we need. We’ve traveled now for over a year each carrying a single Osprey Porter 30 Travel Backpack. Nothing makes travel more enjoyable than traveling light. You can find more info about our travel packs and the current prices for these packs on Amazon.

 

Learning Spanish Numbers will make Shopping More Fun

Shopping in Mexico is more enjoyable if you are familiar with Spanish numbers. If you don’t see a price, you can ask the price of an item by saying “Cuanto cuesta?” Of course, whatever they answer may not mean anything if you don’t know numbers in Spanish. I talk a lot about learning numbers in Spanish in the blogs I write, because I believe this single effort has made travel in Spanish speaking countries much easier, and certainly less stressful.

 

My Spanish is poor, but I try to study a bit each day. I’m getting better, but it’s a slow process, and I know it will be a long while before I am remotely conversant. That being said, just a little Spanish language study makes life much easier here. And while I can’t speak Spanish very well, I am able to understand more of the language when it is spoken to me, which is in itself a huge help.

Anonymous ID: 066232 Aug. 19, 2023, 12:23 a.m. No.19386657   🗄️.is đź”—kun   >>6661

>>19386655

 

 

While we frequent larger grocery stores, we also shop at local markets and smaller groceries, but when we do we generally buy only a handful of items, mostly fruits and veggies. And in smaller shops and stalls, items are often not priced, so we have to ask “cuanto cuesta?”

 

Pat Attention or Pay More …Don’t Get Ripped off

Recently I was shopping at an open air market where I selected a papaya, avocado, and a small stalk of broccoli. The fella running the vegetable stand appeared to be a walnut that had transformed itself into a person, but with fewer teeth. He weighed the papaya, or more accurately banged the side of a rusty scale with the papaya, then bagged my items.

“Cuanto cuesta?” I asked.

Walnut Man reached out a leathery hand and smiled with the teeth he had and said, “Cuarenta tres.”

 

My eyes rolled up into my head looking for the translation, and I found it. “Cuarenta y tres,” I said aloud. 43 Pesos. That’s about $2.50 USD, which sounded kinda high, but I’m a gringo so I don’t really know, but the price wasn’t too crazy.

I reached into my wallet and gave him a 100 peso note.

Walnut man turned to a small stack of scattered bills and loose change on a table and counted out 7 pesos and grabbed a 50 peso note. He held the 50 peso note at his side and reached out the 7 pesos and put them into my hand, smiling.

 

Hmmmm…that was interesting.

I looked at the five coins in my hand that added up to 7 pesos. Then I looked at the fifty-peso note poking out of Walnut Man’s hand, the note still held casually at his side.

“Cuarenta y tres?” I said, but with a question mark.

He smiled a little bigger, and that’s all.

I held up 4 fingers and then 3 fingers and said, “Cuarenta y tres? Forty-three.”

He waited a beat, then another beat, then reached the fifty-peso note out to me and I put it in my wallet. He was still smiling. I said “Hasta luego,” although I knew I would not return to that vegetable stall again.

 

After almost two months in Mexico, there have only been two instances where I recognized that I was being taken advantage of because I’m “a gringo with little Spanish”. Neither instance involved a lot of money, and perhaps there are other instances of which I’m not even aware.

In almost every interaction I’ve had with locals in Mexico, individuals are extraordinarily friendly and helpful and have made my experience in this country simply wonderful. I know this because even a little understanding of Spanish makes it very clear.

But make the effort to learn numbers in Spanish and you will feel much more confident making money transactions, and you’ll enjoy them more.

 

One of the best reasons to come to Mexico is the incredible food. Check out this video and blog featuring tips about dining out in restaurants in Mexico. I hope this glimpse into our grocery costs in Mexico was a help to your future travel plans. Happy Trails!