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01-19-2012, 10:53 AM
I don't see Luanda, Angola on the list!, must be number 1
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01-19-2012, 11:41 AM
Yeah crazy that Luanda isn't on that list. I'm surprised that Moscow is not there either. Another one that must be on that list is Hong Kong.
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01-19-2012, 12:03 PM
The surprising thing for me in Moscow was how cheap you can eat if you make your own food (make purchases from fruit stands, etc) and the cheap price for hostels (paid $15 per night). It was in line with Baltic prices. I was nervous this place was going to break me no matter what i did but not the case. I could grab a few beers and head back to the hostel to pregame for $2. And the beers are larger than in the US and in most cases come with higher alcohol content. I realize the high end of Moscow will do serious damage on the credit cards. My point is that in a place like Oslo everything is expensive. There is no escaping it. I stayed in a hostel there for $65 a night. That is crazy expensive for a hostel. A beer at a sports bar in stockholm set me back $10 but i found places in St Pete that were only $3. This clearly is because the overall wealth of Russia is much more distorted than Scandinavia. For all the billionaires in Moscow, there are millions with very little.
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01-19-2012, 12:05 PM
Very strange list I can't believe Toronto is ahead of New York and L.A. (Although it looks like it may be from an American perspective, so maybe travel costs)
Posting the hotel costs is also weird, especially because again Toronto is $30 less than the next closest city.
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01-19-2012, 12:15 PM
Cant determine it by hotel prices as you can stay in a hostel or couchsurf
I went to 30 countries in 2011 and Oslo, Norway is the single most expensive place in the world.
Any major city in Australia is also eye-wateringly expensive right now
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01-19-2012, 05:13 PM
This kills things hard in Toronto, why? Because travelers generally save cash and stay by the airport versus DT. Away from nightlife and things to do. Many times I've had female friends roll through and I ask? "where you stayin?" "Oh west Toronto by the airport, website said only 20 min from DT" LOL bullshit. The typical random romps you get from girls passing through town are hard to slay here unless they make specific plans to stay in the City. No rapid transit to that area either, plus cabbies rape people trying to head in (45-50$).
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01-22-2012, 05:03 AM
Quote: (01-19-2012 12:03 PM)T-Mac Wrote:
The surprising thing for me in Moscow was how cheap you can eat if you make your own food (make purchases from fruit stands, etc) and the cheap price for hostels (paid $15 per night). It was in line with Baltic prices. I was nervous this place was going to break me no matter what i did but not the case. I could grab a few beers and head back to the hostel to pregame for $2. And the beers are larger than in the US and in most cases come with higher alcohol content. I realize the high end of Moscow will do serious damage on the credit cards. My point is that in a place like Oslo everything is expensive. There is no escaping it. I stayed in a hostel there for $65 a night. That is crazy expensive for a hostel. A beer at a sports bar in stockholm set me back $10 but i found places in St Pete that were only $3. This clearly is because the overall wealth of Russia is much more distorted than Scandinavia. For all the billionaires in Moscow, there are millions with very little.
Russia in essence is an autocratic, corrupt, power verticle kleptocracy not unlike some oil rich African state like Equatorial Guinea or Angola. Having been there, the disparity in wealth is something else. 10% of the population has 85% of the wealth. The Middle Class which make up around 30% has 10% while the remaining 70% have the remaining 5% which means the average monthly salary is around €500-600 per month. It is a country of great wealth but only those at the top have it. The corruption there is breathtaking.
