Things I want to know about currency!!

[ShredderJoshW]

Ok, This may have come up before sometime, but I want to know anyways. I get frustrated all the time because I see killer guitars in the UK, but the prices are insane compared to what you would spend here in the US. Like here in the US a box of cereal may cost $3, what would a box of cereal in the UK cost? Also, like if a Jem here in the US sells for $2000. What does a brand new Jem in the UK cost. What I am getting at, do people in the UK look at a Brit pound like we look at a US dollar compared to everyday life. Like, would $100 take you just as far in the US as 100 pounds would take you in the UK? Just something I have been thinking about.

[Hikey Mikey]

I've been to England and Scotland several times. Currently, the exchange rate is $1.99 to one British pound, meaning that one pound is worth almost twice what a dollar's worth. Check out xe dot com.

And yes, most stuff in England has a price tag with the same numbers on it as it would here. Most consumer goods there cost the same amount in pounds as they do here in dollars. So if you were to leave Sweet Home and traipse off to Merry Old and used your credit card to buy a cup of tea for a pound, the bank would suck out two bucks from your account.

[ShredderJoshW]

I understand the differences in the two, I just wanted to know if things there were priced like things here. But, I guess you answered that. Thanks.

[Hikey Mikey]

Yeah, sorry for playing Captain Obvious again.

I'm curious as well. The whole discussion about the price of the RG20TH in the UK got me thinking about it, too. Why don't we do this? I'll start by posting some things, consumer goods, I regularly buy. Then maybe some English, Scottish, or Welsh Jemsite members can reply with what the same costs in the UK. Britons, feel free to post your own goods and I'll respond. Here goes:

Starbucks drip coffee: $1.75 for a medium.
Frozen pizza: $3-5
DVD rental: $3.50-4.00 for three nights
gallon of gas (87 octane): $2.69 (that's 3.78 liters)

[GilkyBear]

What you're asking about is "buying power". And no, in general, the Brits do not have twice the buying power even though their pound is worth twice what a dollar is. They get screwed. If something costs a dollar in the States it most likely costs a pound in the UK. Sucks.

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by GilkyBear

They get screwed.

Understatement

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Hikey Mikey

Yeah, sorry for playing Captain Obvious again.

I'm curious as well. The whole discussion about the price of the RG20TH in the UK got me thinking about it, too. Why don't we do this? I'll start by posting some things, consumer goods, I regularly buy. Then maybe some English, Scottish, or Welsh Jemsite members can reply with what the same costs in the UK. Britons, feel free to post your own goods and I'll respond. Here goes:

Starbucks drip coffee: $1.75 for a medium.
Frozen pizza: $3-5
DVD rental: $3.50-4.00 for three nights
gallon of gas (87 octane): $2.69 (that's 3.78 liters)

starbucks is the same $ - £
pizza is the same $ - £
DVD rental is the same $ - £ - but for ONE night
however - 'gas' is currently 90.5p / litre
I thought there was 4.55 liters/gallon...
but working on 3.78 litres/gallon =
£0.905 x 3.78 x 1.99($) = $6.80 / gallon.

a JEM7VWH is ususally around £1599 list - thats $3182
I believe the average salary is around the 22-24k mark.

[Eco]

Things cost a bit more in the UK generally i think because we get our eyes ripped out on tax, especially on imported goods and cars.

Petrol is around 92p per litre where i live right now, which i think is about $1.80 but about 70P of that 92 is taxes and duty, even tho we're an oil producing country.


We also have to pay road tax, which i believe we are only 1 of 2 countries to do that, for my car which is only a 1.4L engine is around £140 per year to give you an idea of other reasons we get sapped for cash.

Brand new Jems are about £1500, i think thats mainly because shops importing them have to pay 25% of the value to get them into the country and they want to make that back, that includes VAT aswell, not sure if you have that in the US.

Guitar wise i think we pay just about the same in pounds as you guys do in dollars, so almost in the region of 2 x for a guitar, which is lame.

[DavyH]

Link to my thread on exchange rates......

Looking at prices in the US on a straight comparison, it's a case of swings and roundabouts; a lot of consumables in the UK are considerably cheaper, but if you want to eat actual food you'd be far better off in the US. Of course you'd have to get used to calling mince 'ground beef'!

Transport in the UK = horrific prices, as do parking, road taxes and petrol.

Overall, I'd give the US a far better rating on the value for money scale, and probably 100% improvement when it comes to availability of almost everything.

Lucky sods!

[Hikey Mikey]

Originally Posted by whatisshredding

however - 'gas' is currently 90.5p / litre
I thought there was 4.55 liters/gallon...
but working on 3.78 litres/gallon =
£0.905 x 3.78 x 1.99($) = $6.80 / gallon.

Your imperial gallon is about 750 ml MORE than ours. By the way, the high price of 'petrol' is a feature story on the news almost every day.

Originally Posted by whatisshredding

a JEM7VWH is ususally around £1599 list - thats $3182
I believe the average salary is around the 22-24k mark.

Those Jems are 2100-2200 USD here. According to the US Census Bureau, median US salary in 2005 was $44,389.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Hikey Mikey

Your imperial gallon is about 750 ml less than ours. By the way, the high price of 'petrol' is a feature story on the news almost every day.

Those Jems are 2100-2200 USD here. According to the US Census Bureau, median US salary in 2005 was $44,389.

Cool information swap mate !
I never knew that there was more than one measurement for a gallon, we have the imperial gallon and the US uses mostly imperial measurements... I just thought they would be the same.. I guess you use the U.S gallon..

so average salaries are:
UK £22000
US $44389

so salaries are comparable with exchange rates however, prices are not....
if I had to pay US prices for JEM's I would be a pretty happy bunny

Im not gonna complain though, Ive spent some time in various parts of America and I love coming back to England.
guess im a homeboy whatever the cost