Several folks (esp. my brother-in-law Peter) have asked about how the prices compare between Germany now and when I lived in Marburg during my college days (oh, so many years ago - 1970-71). My first response was that Ludwigshafen is surprisingly close to southwestern Pa. When I was last living here, it seemed that many things were much more expensive - food, eating out, clothing, shoes, gasoline, etc. etc.
Now, one must remember that "the older I get, the more clearly I remember things not quite as they were." So, I wanted to check myself out. First, here are a few pictures we've taken over the last 3 weeks . . .
Now, one must remember that "the older I get, the more clearly I remember things not quite as they were." So, I wanted to check myself out. First, here are a few pictures we've taken over the last 3 weeks . . .
Vegetables and fruit prices at a Turkish store about a 2-mile walk from the Stadtmitte (central city) where we live. The prices are generally per Kilo (approx 2.2lb for our USA readers). Some Germans as well as recent immigrants look down on the Turkish shops as not to the quality of German wares - but, if you know what you want, it is really much cheaper than prices in s.w. Pa.
Deichmann Shoes is in our local, Rathaus Center mall. They would be similar to mall shoe stores in US that sell name brands, but discount them. The athletic shoes are under $30 and the leather shoes are $30-$40 in the window. That is quite a bit cheaper than when I was in Marburg - at least compared to how long it took to earn a pair of shoes driving moving vans (my summer job in '70). Now, most of these shoes would be manufactured in Italy or China - I doubt if any in Germany. And, that is a big reason for the lower prices - the strong, active trade that the EU has entered into with one another and through agreements, with the rest of the world
Here are two really inexpensive clothing outlets in LU - top is Kik and the bottom is the sidewalk specials of Woolworths (that's right, the same Woolworths that long ago closed in the States). Those prices, even in Euros (today it took US $1.22 to buy € 1.00) these are great prices!
I wanted to check myself. Back when I had a subscription to The Economist, I could have checked out one of the Checklists there for overall most expensive cities in the world. Unfortunately, I dropped that magazine some time ago. One also sees in Forbes, CNBC and other media references to the indexes produced by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). They usually just list the 10 top cities in the world, and there is not a single German city on that short list. If you want to get more granular, EIU invites you to join, but the rates are exorbitant. So, I went looking for a crowd-sourced online resource for the cost of living in cities around the world. I wanted a source that works the way WAZE handles traffic in real time and GasBuddy is constantly updated by enthusiastic local users. And I found it in Expatistan.com.
Sure enough, if you go to Expatistan, you will find that it compares many types of costs for a city - food, fuel, rent, property, entertainment, doctors, meds, meals out (cheap, medium and expensive), clothes, heating and utilities and much more. The result: Manheim (our sister city across the Rhein) is 7% cheaper to live in than is Pittsburgh - just the way it "felt." Now, rent is higher in Mannheim, but most other costs are about the same. Peter, Expatistan says it is about the same as living in Montreal (which, by the way, is 24% cheaper than Toronto). And, compared to the city I grew up in, Washington, DC, Mannheim is a whopping 47% cheaper to live in.
Check out for yourself: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living
Plug in your town and your favorite cities around the world and see how they compare.
I wanted to check myself. Back when I had a subscription to The Economist, I could have checked out one of the Checklists there for overall most expensive cities in the world. Unfortunately, I dropped that magazine some time ago. One also sees in Forbes, CNBC and other media references to the indexes produced by the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU). They usually just list the 10 top cities in the world, and there is not a single German city on that short list. If you want to get more granular, EIU invites you to join, but the rates are exorbitant. So, I went looking for a crowd-sourced online resource for the cost of living in cities around the world. I wanted a source that works the way WAZE handles traffic in real time and GasBuddy is constantly updated by enthusiastic local users. And I found it in Expatistan.com.
Sure enough, if you go to Expatistan, you will find that it compares many types of costs for a city - food, fuel, rent, property, entertainment, doctors, meds, meals out (cheap, medium and expensive), clothes, heating and utilities and much more. The result: Manheim (our sister city across the Rhein) is 7% cheaper to live in than is Pittsburgh - just the way it "felt." Now, rent is higher in Mannheim, but most other costs are about the same. Peter, Expatistan says it is about the same as living in Montreal (which, by the way, is 24% cheaper than Toronto). And, compared to the city I grew up in, Washington, DC, Mannheim is a whopping 47% cheaper to live in.
Check out for yourself: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living
Plug in your town and your favorite cities around the world and see how they compare.
Nice helpful information thanks :)
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