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Cost of Living

Old 04-17-2011, 07:47 AM
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It's been 2 years since I've lived in the USA, so I havn't got a clue as to what the averages for necessary things like food, gas or clothing.

Can you share with me the average cost where where you are?
for example:
Gas per gallon
Gallon of Milk (average for whichever type you use)
Dozen Eggs
Wheat Bread and White Bread
Peanut Butter
Meat (fish,cow, and chicken-don't eat pork)
Fruits and Vegies

I don't have very many friends in the USA, and the one I've got is already helping me so much I don't want to bother her more with these things. Any bits of information you can give would be so helpful to us.

If there's any fun things You'de like to throw in you can do that too...it can be anything for which you think the price has changed in 2 years.^
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Old 04-17-2011, 08:15 AM
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Hi Crimpet! I can't imagine how overwhelming this must be for you!

As far as the food stuff...I'm going to put in links for the current ads for two major grocery store chains in my area so you can get an idea of prices on a variety of things (I live in the south, in Georgia). Right now our gas is about $3.61 a gallon.

Publix - Weekly Ad

Kroger Weekly Ads
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Old 04-17-2011, 08:37 AM
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You may laugh, but it felt like a holiday going through those lol It's been so long, I get butterflies in my stomach just looking at the ads and seeing all the things I've missed here. It makes me realize how we should be back in y country in the next 4 months if all goes wel. Thank you much!! ^_^ The price of gas has deffinently gone up since I left. If I remember corectly it was about $2.90 right before I went because it had dropped slightly, but had been about $3.30 at the maximum before I went. That's crazy!
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Old 04-17-2011, 08:52 AM
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And it's bound to get crazier, they are predicting that gas will be at $5.00 by the time the summer gas is required, and when gas costs more so does food. Gas here in MI right now is $3.98/gal

Cow's milk $2.00-$3.00, soy and almond $3 for 1/2 gallon
Dozen eggs $1/dozen, but I buy them from a local farmer, the grocery store eggs are more.
Bread $1.50-$2.50 loaf, any higher than that and I don't buy it
Peanut Butter $1.79/18oz jar of store brand
Chicken $.80-$1.99/lb on sale, regular price is double that.
Beef $1.99-$6.99/lb depending on cut or $.60/lb for the butchering fees if you raise your own beef cattle
Fish varies depending on season and variety, my by-at price is $2.99/lb or less
Fruits and veggies, vary depending on season and variety, I don't like to pay more than $1.00-1.50/lb for anything, which means that we eat a lot of seasonal fruits and veggies from the farmer's market and plant our own garden in the summer.
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Old 04-17-2011, 12:13 PM
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Holy bejeepers! How are you guys not all rich and driving around shiny new cars?

This isn't going to help you at all, Crimpet, just a comparison. Keep in mind that currently the AU and US dollar are quite comparable.

Petrol - $1.48 per litre (equates to $5.92 per gallon - and it's been like that for about a year and warning of inflation - I remember when my mum used to complain about 60c per litre)
Milk - $3.20 for 3L bottle ($4.26 per gallon for full cream or skim)
Chicken - $10.99 per kilo ($4.90 per pound)
Fish - $11.99 per kilo for Basa, which is the cheapest ($5.30 per pound)
Prawns - $27.99 per kilo ($12.59 per pound)
Turkey mince - $10 per kilo ($4.50 per pound)
Bananas - currently $13.99 per kilo ($6.29 per pound)
Strawberries - $5 a punnet, which is about a pound
Bread - $1.99 per loaf at Woolworths (our local supermarket)

Hmmm . . . what are things like in Turkey?
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Old 04-17-2011, 02:38 PM
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Hi Crimpet!

I'm in northern FL. Gas is about $3.80-$3.90 a gallon right now, depending upon where you shop.

I shop at Publix normally, so the shopping circular that you got shows my prices as well! Prices are higher at Whole Foods, though I do sometimes shop there for ingredients that I can't find at Publix.

I wish there were more farmers' markets in my area, or that I had the time to go there! Kudos to you almeeker for getting it done!
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Old 04-17-2011, 06:52 PM
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Taubele I soooo miss Wholefoods. They're expensive, but they had the best selection of fruits and health foods. So worth the price on most of it.

Wow Behaze, some of the prices seem great, but then others are like
Hmm..prices here vary..Instead of giving the Lira price (Turkish money) I'll give the US dollar so it'll be easier. ($1 is roughly 1.5 Turkish Lira here)

Whole Milk= 1 liter is about $1.25 depending on the brand. I've seen some at about 75 cents.
Bread= White/ Wheat about $1, French is about 25 cents which is what people usually get.
Eggs= About $1.5 a dozen or you can buy 2 dozen for about $2.50
Ground Meat= roughly $7.50 for 1lbs. When someone here gets red meat a lot(like several times a month) you know they make good money here.
Fish- Fresh anchovy for about 2lbs is roughly $5, Tuna in the small can is roughly $2 per small can (expensive here) not sure of other fishes
Chicken= small whole is about $3
Yogurt=1 gallon about $4

Don't really know about Gas/petrol since we don't drive, but I think it's roughly $2 a liter from what I can understand on the sign. Most people take the bus which is about $1 per trip

Fruit and vegies are surprisingly cheap. I can get 2 lbs of Cucumbers,eggplants, pepers, lemons, and squash for roughly $1, 2 bs of strawberries,bananas, apples, oranges, and pears for about $2 in season. The one that thrills me is pomegranates. 1 pomegranate the size of a babies head is about $1. Yum!

Peanut butter= 8oz small jar about $2-3.


Average household income is about $15k per year, average per person is about $8k per year. You're considered very well off if you make $24k a year. So foods that run about $3 are considered expensive unless you get a lot.
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Old 04-17-2011, 06:57 PM
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$5 FOR GAS!!!! Almeeker that's just rediculous!! In Louisiana it would jump to $5 during hurricane season, but as soon as the season ended it would drop. Eventually people got ticked off of gas stations trying to profit off of evacuees, but I don't think it improved much. It just made it so hard to get out of the city and go anywhere. I can't imagine spending $5 a gallon all summer. I feel bad for anyone who has a long commute. I think when we get back we may be moving close to DC. so they have the metro. Hopefully we can get around with the metro for work, and just use the car when necessary for erands and entertainment. =/

So sad how expensive things are getting, but the pay isn't going up at all...I get angry when I see a good job pay only $7.25 an hour...how is anyone suppose to live off that in the USA right now? =/

Thanks everone for the info because it really does give me an idea on what our budget will be...I do look forward to fish and meat again though..lol
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Old 04-18-2011, 05:02 AM
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Hello! I'm in NE Wisconsin, so here's some of our prices (these are regular prices - not on sale)

Gas per gallon - $3.89/gal
Gallon of Milk - around $2.85 for whole, $2.49 for Skim
Dozen Eggs - $.99 - $1.29/dozen
Wheat Bread and White Bread - $2 - $2.50/loaf
Peanut Butter - $1.79 (?) I don't buy it that often
Meat (fish,cow, and chicken-don't eat pork) - Fish depends on the type. We just saw a 5 lb box of Haddock filets for $17.99 at the store this weekend. Beef - depends on the cut. NY Strips go for about $7.99/lb but you can get whole, untrimmed tenderloins (my fav!) for around $5.99/lb, not on sale. Chicken is anywhere from $.99/lb for bone-in split breasts to $3.99/lb for boneless skinless breasts.
Fruits and Vegies - Apples: $1.59/lb, Green Peppers: $.79, Grapes: $2.49/lb, 1 lb bag of baby carrots - $1.49 - $1.99.
Cheese - around $4.99/lb for a block of chedder or colby jack (what we mostly buy).
Summer Sausage - $4.99/lb
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Old 04-18-2011, 05:36 AM
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Crimpet, just a quick thought...I know DC is convenient with the Metro, but the area surrounding it is one of the most expensive in the country.

My niece lives there. She and I have the same square footage home, approximately. My home cost one-third what hers did. Her taxes are astronomical. Plus, she and her husband both have commutes of about 45 minutes; it's even more expensive closer in to the city.

Good luck...I know you have a lot to think about! Keep us posted
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