Cost of Living?

Hunter says on May 15, 2005, 04:22:

Scott I also find the numbers hard to believe.

Hunter

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quindioman says on May 15, 2005, 04:52:

playboy lyfestyle you'll be living like a king with those figures...i really doubt yu'll need that much....i would halve those amounts to get closer to what you really need...

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expatriate says on May 15, 2005, 05:01:

The figures may be true ...if when you lived in Orlando you had a three bedroom house on a quarter acre and two fairly new V6 cars, or an SUV. To duplicate that would cost alot in Colombia.

If you are young, skilled, and intelligent, you might want to seriously consider leaving the US now, while you still can.

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kernow62 says on May 15, 2005, 05:02:

I live in Orlando, and there is no way that is correct. Even though Orlando is considered quite a reasonable place to reside I feel confident I could reside in Colombia for less money.

However they are probably doing some sort of direct comparison which is not based on reality. For example, I own two cars here, it is the norm and because the public transportation is worse than useless it is a requirement for a couple. If I were in Bogotá I would not own a car.

The median cost of a home in Orlando has reached $200,000.

I priced an apartment (condo) in a nice area of Bogotá, a new unit, 2 bedrooms, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, tile and wood floors, 2 parking spaces, full amenities and it was under $110,000 USD, that same unit in a desirable part of Orlando is easily $750,000.

Food costs in Orlando were higher than in Bogotá.

Consumer goods were more expensive in Bogotá. Take electronic items with you. Furniture depends on what you want, we have modern European furniture which is more expensive in Bogotá, but locally made furniture is inexpensive and good.

Service related items were much cheaper in Bogotá.

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Miguel says on May 15, 2005, 06:41:

For 60k in B/quilla I could buy a four bedroom house in estrato 4 barrio.

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miamimike says on May 15, 2005, 07:19:

Didn't realize the houses were that cheap in Orlando -only $200K Here the Median home price(and this is for a normal house, not a luxury mansion) in Miami is $300,000. In Broward Ft.Laudedale-$341,000 and in W.Palm-$361,000.These are old 2 month figures so add a little-they have went up.Man I know could live for a lot less then those comparisons in Colombia.I mean I live cheaper then that as a single in Miami.Give me a break! Then again I am kind of Cheap-strike your elbows on both sides kind of cheap.Dos Codos.Haha.

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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b bruce says on May 15, 2005, 07:24:

Orlando or Bogota? The cost comparison could be based on the annual income for those areas. I beleive Florida is at the lower half of the list when it comes to wages. But the prices of property and homes are on the rise while the wages stay pretty much the same. Orlando to Bogota is a poor comparison when you consider the demographics.

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Rubiazo says on May 15, 2005, 12:02:

When you consider I dunno what the average income in Bogota is exactly but it has to be somewhere around the $1millionCOP mark, or maybe even less. And everybody there making the average wage or more is definitely not starving!

If I move to Bogota I would buy a bicycle there and that would be my #1 mode of transportation, same as it is here in the Bronx. I would also buy a condo outright.

Maybe they were including the cost of Americans going back to Florida to buy their clothes at the Aventura mall because NOTHING that isn't tailor made in Colomia is ever gonna fit my fat ass! :)

There's also a hell of a lot more free shit you can do in Bogota than there is in any city that I'm aware of in the States. Even going to Montserrate can be free if you don't mind getting a little fresh air and exercise. :)

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kernow62 says on May 15, 2005, 12:41:

Do they still have the cheap classical music concerts, I think on Saturdays in Bogotá? My wife used to enjoy this cheap form of entertainment.

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poco says on May 15, 2005, 13:49:

Calculator The calculator is fun to play with. Yes it is strangely high. The site is good and I assume clients are moving mostly inside the U.S. and do NOT want to reduce their life style.

Using 100,000 per year,, you need to make a little less than 90,000 USD in Cali or 90% of your U.S. Salary.

http://www.homefair.com/homefair/servlet/ActionServlet?pid=246&previousPage=245&cid=homefair&fromSalary=100000&fromCity=
659&toCity=248

Moving from Dallas Texas to Miami Florida requires 30% more salary. Seems reasonable. Naples Florida,, where some from the NY area move for retirement,,, 50% more salary.

http://www.homefair.com/homefair/servlet/ActionServlet?pid=200&tool=salarycalculator&previousPage=116&cid=homefair&
fromState=TX&toState=FL&salary=100000&fromCity=4819000&toCity=
1245000&ownrent=own

Post was stretching the board. Put in some carriage returns on the links.

I’ve had suspicions the perceived cost of living in Colombia is much higher than generally thought. You need to live differently in Colombia and this is not a bad thing.

One more thing,, the calculator MAY be gross income because these folks will still pay SOME, if not ALL U.S. taxes. Probably knock off 30%.

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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Rubiazo says on May 15, 2005, 15:14:

I can't imagine what would drive the cost of living up so much. Even if I had a place with heat in Bogota I would NEVER turn it on. Electricity and gas are not expensive there, like they are in some other Latin American places.

My novia's average electric bill is 40k or so. Here just the cost of service is $28 plus a whole bevy of silly taxes, so you pay $40 before you use your first watt. I average $100 a month just in water here (although most of that is from my tenants I'm sure).

You'd have to be crazy to own a car in most of Bogota, and you'd also have to be crazy to own one where I live. You can spend more time parking than you would getting here on the train from most of the city!

I checked food prices in the supermarkets and pretty much everything is dirt cheap, unless it is imported from far away. Even appliances and TVs and computers were about the same price that they'd be here in the states (this is comparing an Exito with a Costco or Wal-Mart here, obviously most places on pricewatch wont deliver out of the US).
And real estate is definitely about 95% cheaper than it is in NYC!!
The taxis were so cheap it shocked me! I really don't know what else they could be taking into account.

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Mr. Hollywood says on May 15, 2005, 15:30:

Truth about Bogota expenses Is that you could live on a shoestring budget or you can spend a lot. It all depends on where in the city you want to live and what your expectations of standard of living are.

One of the reasons that the calculator is so screwed up is that they're using data from 2,000 and haven't readjusted for currency shifts.

Also, as someone else noted above, you can't compare a 3 bdrm house with two cars lifestyle in say, Minneapolis with one in Bogota. That's just not how people live here.

If you compare Bogota to similar cities in the US where most people live in apartments and use public transit (NYC, Washington DC., Boston....) the cost of living is 25% to 50% of what you'd pay in the US, and that's living well.

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Rubiazo says on May 15, 2005, 16:49:

I guess they assume That one would want to live in a single-family house, as per the American dream :P
Many people actually prefer apartments or townhouses over detached houses, for various reasons.

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miamimike says on May 15, 2005, 18:04:

Car Condos in NYC A while back I was reading where they were selling a small space like 7' x 12' in a converted warehouse to park your car and the going price was around $200,000 !!!! Car Condos they call 'em.I would ditch the Car in NYC also-anyways, the Subway, buses and taxis will get you anyplace and no pain in the Ass of owning a car in the city- definetly not as much Fun as it used to be. Here in Miami I pay around $1500 yearly for my VW New Beetle for the Pleasure of being driven crazy on a daily basis. Crazy.

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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Rubiazo says on May 15, 2005, 20:21:

god help you if you ever have to get on that freakin florida's turnpike. You better have a few good CDs with you in the car!

What blows my mind here is people with $50000 SUVs parking them on the STREET. But in this neighborhood there is only one garage and it's often full to the brim.

I think they have it right in BOG not allowing any street parking. Otherwise their traffic would be as bad as Sao Paulo's where it can take you half an hour just to go 2 city blocks.

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miamimike says on May 15, 2005, 20:32:

Last Year Miami was listed as the worst US city to Drive in and I would concur with that finding. Actually the Turnpike(toll road) is GOOD compared to the free roads like the Palmetto(826) and I-95.You don't see so many Junkers on the on the toll road such as the Florida turnpike.The more Junkers, the worst the drivers seem to be but NOT always. A major case of high grade stress is a certainty every time you enter either of these two bi-ways. We have the most impolite, inpatient and agressive drivers of any US city I have driven in and within Miami-Dade Hialeah is the worst municipality to drive in. At times I wish for a Roof Mounted 50 Cal Machine Gun I could manipulate with a Joy Stick.

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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Rubiazo says on May 15, 2005, 20:35:

Maybe a lot of the residents of Hialeah are actually ex- Bogota taxi drivers!!

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miamimike says on May 15, 2005, 21:05:

Actually they are mostly from Havana.. Hialeah is like 90% Cuban. Northern Suburb of Havana as they call it. In Miami the WORST drivers are the Haitian Drivers. They are not agressive like the Cuban drivers they just do not drive well--why who knows?? They have a great sense of Humor though in spite of their Lousy Driving Habits--Nice Folks.

On Sept 17, 2008: Senator John McCain said, as he had many times before, that he believed the fundamentals of the economy were "strong."Hours later he backpedaled, explaining that he had meant that American workers were Strong.

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platano says on May 15, 2005, 21:21:

Get out of Medellin, Cali, and Bogota and you can live... much more cheaply. As GIB said, "That should be $7,379.30 JAJA"

For US$600 a month you could live quite comfortably.
In rural areas US$5 will get you vegetables for a week at the plaza marketplace and US$100 will get you a nice apartment. (Figures are 2005 and come from my sister-in-law in Popayan).

Make ajiaco at home. Wash your own dishes (no "muchacha de servicio").

Enjoy!

Plátano, el banano verde
Estudiante del Manual de Urbanidad y Buenas Maneras por Manuel Antonio Carreño
Oxigeno Verde ¡Libertad por Ingrid y los demás!

plátano

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kernow62 says on May 15, 2005, 22:13:

You got that right Miamimike, Hatians are the worst drivers period. Today one load of them was heading straight for me on the wrong side of the road. When I blew the horn and gave him the finger he just politely smiled and waved.

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go2pr says on May 17, 2005, 06:40:

Cost of living World's most and least expensive cities :

"Mercer's researchers priced a basket of more than 200 goods and services in each city that reflects expatriate spending habits. The goods and services include the monthly rent for a two-bedroom luxury apartment unfurnished, the cost of a hamburger, the price of transportation and entertainment"


Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting, 2004 Cost-of-Living Survey 2004

Rank City

1 Tokyo, Japan
2 London, UK
3 Moscow, Russia
4 Osaka, Japan
5 Hong Kong
6 Geneva, Switzerland
7 Seoul, South Korea
8 Copenhagen, Denmark
9 Zürich, Switzerland
10 St. Petersburg, Russia
11 Beijing, China
12 New York City, USA
13 Milan, Italy
14 Dublin, Ireland
15 Oslo, Norway
16 Shanghai, China
17 Paris, France
18 Istanbul, Turkey
19 Vienna, Austria
20 Sydney, Australia
21 Rome, Italy
22 Stockholm, Sweden
23 Helsinki, Finland
24 Abidjan, Ivory Coast
25 Douala, Cameroon
26 Amsterdam, Netherlands
27 Los Angeles, USA
28 Berlin, Germany
29 Hanoi, Vietnam
30 Shenzhen, China
31 Taipei, Taiwan
32 Guangzhou, China
33 Tel Aviv, Israel
34 Budapest, Hungary
35 Chicago, USA
36 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
37 Beirut, Lebanon
38 San Francisco, USA
39 Luxembourg
40 Düsseldorf, Germany
41 Glasgow, UK
42 Frankfurt, Germany
43 Munich, Germany
44 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
45 Jakarta, Indonesia
46 Singapore
47 Dakar, Senegal
48 Riga, Latvia
49 Prague, Czech Republic
50 Athens, Greece
51 Birmingham, UK
52 White Plains, USA
53 Brussels, Belgium
54 Kiev, Ukraine
55 Miami, USA
56 Barcelona, Spain
57 Honolulu, USA
58 Hamburg, Germany
59 Zagreb, Croatia
60 Algiers, Algeria
61 Madrid, Spain
62 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
63 Amman, Jordan
64 Kuwait City, Kuwait
65 San Juan, Puerto Rico
66 Casablanca, Morocco
67 Melbourne, Australia
68 Washington, USA
69 Lyon, France
70 Boston, USA
71 Lisbon, Portugal
72 Morristown, USA
73 Houston, USA
74 Almaty, Kazakhstan
75 Tallinn, Estonia
76 Warsaw, Poland
77 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
78 Manama, Bahrain
79 Sofia, Bulgaria
80 Auckland, New Zealand
81 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
82 Ljubljana, Slovenia
83 Dubai, United Arab Emirates
84 Mexico City, Mexico
85 Atlanta, USA
86 Wellington, New Zealand
87 Brisbane, Australia
88 Adelaide, Australia
89 Toronto, Canada
90 Seattle, USA
91 Vilnius, Lithuania
92 St. Louis, USA
93 Leipzig, Germany
94 Perth, Australia
95 Limassol, Cyprus
96 Vancouver, Canada
97 Accra, Ghana
98 Cleveland, USA
99 Cairo, Egypt
100 Denver, USA
101 Detroit, USA
102 Monterrey, Mexico
103 Kingston, Jamaica
104 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
105 Portland, USA
106 Panama City
107 Winston Salem, USA
108 Guatemala City, Guatemala
109 Mumbai, India
110 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
111 Lagos, Nigeria
112 Pittsburgh, USA
113 Montreal, Canada
114 Calgary, Canada
115 Tianjin, China
116 New Delhi, India
117 Dacca (Dhaka), Bangladesh
118 Lima, Peru
119 Bangkok, Thailand
120 Tunis, Tunisia
121 Nairobi, Kenya
122 Tehran, Iran
123 Santiago, Chile
124 Ottawa, Canada
125 Lusaka, Zambia
126 Johannesburg, South Africa
127 Colombo, Sri Lanka
128 São Paulo, Brazil
129 Bucharest, Romania
130 San José, Costa Rica
131 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
132 Karachi, Pakistan
133 Chennai (Madras), India
134 Caracas, Venezuela
135 Blantyre, Malawi
136 Quito, Ecuador
137 Bangalore, India
138 Manila, Philippines
139 BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
140 Harare, Zimbabwe
141 Buenos Aires, Argentina
142 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
143 Montevideo, Uruguay
144 Asunción, Paraguay

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