Price comparisons at the halfway mark

PDF for those with bad eyes

This weekend has marked the halfway point of our current stay in the United States. The concurrency of this event with the first weekend at home on our own since a while back, has given us the time to rest, and take stock of our experiences (and resume our electronic narrations as seen in the posts below), and to do some sums about our life in New York in the few months we have been here.

Speaking of sums, the prices for a number of things were somewhat unexpected upon arrival in the big apple, and we have therefore decided to make a comparison chart, on the somewhat sketchy statistical observations we have made these past two months, of the cost of life in New York compared to life in Lausanne. The result might not be what you'd expect coming from a country that is supposed to be very expensive...

A few things should be mentioned regarding nourishment: we have elected to maintain a dietary habit that is hardly different from what we had in Switzerland. One could argue that we could have adapted to the local customs (when in Rome...). That is a valid point, but we could argue back that the standards for health around here are less successful than back home. If we were actually in Rome, we'd probably gain from the dietary lifestyle (and the olive oil) of the locals. Here to eat healthy you'd have to look for asian or european cuisine anyway, which would seem redundant. (Although we will probably want to give Sushi a chance before we leave.)

The other things, such as phone contracts, clothes and museums, need to be evaluated with the understanding that we are here for a limited amount of time, so several things that are available on a yearly basis were not an option for us. (For instance, we ended up getting prepaid sim card, which are potentially less optimal than other contracts.) It is quite possible that a number of expenditures could be shaved off if one were to take the yearly options.

This was mostly a chance to play around with graphics and numbers on a sunday afternoon, as some people are happy to do every now and then.