Post: #26

(11-04-2009 02:45 PM)BrDr Wrote:  Yeah, Panama is not once as cheap as it use to be.

Or maybe it still is cheap but you wouldn't know it because the USD is becoming increasingly worthless abroad.

Post: #27

Well, once again It really it all relative because they use the US dollar here in Panama. If you live like a local (which most gringos DONT want to do INCLUDING me) it is safe to say besides the Taxi and booz prices I listed you can cut almost everything else by a third or half. BUT also cut in half your standard of living (which im NOT willing to do..hahaha)

(11-04-2009 03:31 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(11-04-2009 02:45 PM)BrDr Wrote:  Yeah, Panama is not once as cheap as it use to be.

Or maybe it still is cheap but you wouldn't know it because the USD is becoming increasingly worthless abroad.

Post: #28

I had forgotten just how expensive Brazil is. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck !!

Post: #29

(11-05-2009 01:09 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  I had forgotten just how expensive Brazil is. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck !!

Of my 2 months in SA, probably half my money was spent in Brazil.

Post: #30

Just for the sake of comparison, I thought I would list the cost of living that I experienced in NYC/LA/SD.

NYC: (1/4 New Yorkers have Herpes)
- A room in an apt in Brooklyn close to Manhattan: $1000-1200
- Taxi : typically on a night out, at least $10-20-- private cars in Brooklyn with set fees (negotiable)
- Subway or bus : $2
- 40oz of Budweiser : $3 at the bodega
- Bar : typical drink : $6-12
- Typical Pizza and Beer meal : $8
- Restaurant Meal : $20 for cheap meal

LA: (a lot of good looking girls, but a lot of girls with issues)
- Room in SM, Venice, WeHo, Silverlake : ~$1000
- Gas for car (you will not use public transport here) : ~$200/mo
- Drinks at a bar : $5-10

SD: (some of the most beautiful women of USA, really normal too!)
- Room in Pacific Beach/Mission Beach close to the beach & bars : ~$700/mo
- Drinks at a bar: $3-8

Post: #31

Madrid (centro centro, Lavapies in this case): living in lavapies was like what i imagine hell's kitchen was like in the 1970s
3 bedroom, 6 bed apartment $E2000 (1 person's share with pvt. bedroom $E500/mo)
Food: $E10/day
Going out/travel: person specific
6 months with tuition, travelling a LOT, going out all day, plane tickets
about 20,000USD per 6 m/o


Santiago: (haven't spent it yet but ive got my rent already and an estimate from researching)
pvt bedroom in shared apt. $100US m/o
food: $5US day
Going out/travel: ...
im bringing 7500 and whatever I can make this december before i go and plan on 6 months.. im also gonna make money there for sure

Brooklyn (i did a summer) and by association NYC/manhattan
I lived 2 blocks from the F train in prospect heights so manhattan was easy access for me..
my half of a 2br 1ba, basement, apt. $600 m/o
Food: I dunno, a lot.
Going out and trips to jersey shore:~ $400 m/o
I bet you could easily live on 1k m/o

Post: #32

(11-05-2009 01:09 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  I had forgotten just how expensive Brazil is. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck !!

Yeah, I'd say its as expensive as the US, sometimes more. At least Rio

Post: #33

(11-06-2009 12:25 AM)PartyTime Wrote:  

(11-05-2009 01:09 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  I had forgotten just how expensive Brazil is. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck !!

Yeah, I'd say its as expensive as the US, sometimes more. At least Rio

Hell, some clubs in Leblon were charging $75 covers. When I was rolling with El Guapo, we had considered going into one because the girls outside were so hot. But damn, $75 just to get in and it's ain't even NYE or some other holiday night?!?!!

Post: #34

(11-06-2009 12:31 AM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(11-06-2009 12:25 AM)PartyTime Wrote:  

(11-05-2009 01:09 PM)Lumiere Wrote:  I had forgotten just how expensive Brazil is. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck !!

Yeah, I'd say its as expensive as the US, sometimes more. At least Rio

Hell, some clubs in Leblon were charging $75 covers. When I was rolling with El Guapo, we had considered going into one because the girls outside were so hot. But damn, $75 just to get in and it's ain't even NYE or some other holiday night?!?!!

Yeah, hotels were overpriced too. We were paying $180 a night in Ipanema. The same quality hotel would not cost more than $100 a night in the US.

Food wasn't cheap either. And generally I didnt think the food was very good.

Post: #35

(11-06-2009 12:40 AM)PartyTime Wrote:  Food wasn't cheap either. And generally I didnt think the food was very good.

Well I'll say that one restaurant, the famous one in Ipanema near posto 8 where "Girl from Ipanema" was written was pretty good. Very hearty and good portions. Not cheap, but worth every cent.

Post: #36

Slightly off-topic. It seems that current exchange rates are important for planning travel (and is a big reason why I'm going to Argentina).

Does anybody know a website that compiles all the major currency trends vs. USD into one simple graph? Something like that would make high value travel much easier for a lot of people.

Post: #37

Yahoo offers good charts, but if you're looking to compare the USD to a basket of currencies I don't think it does that.

http://finance.yahoo.com/currency-conver...=EUR;amt=1

Post: #38

(11-06-2009 01:59 AM)gringoed Wrote:  Slightly off-topic. It seems that current exchange rates are important for planning travel (and is a big reason why I'm going to Argentina).

Does anybody know a website that compiles all the major currency trends vs. USD into one simple graph? Something like that would make high value travel much easier for a lot of people.

Not a graph but a map maybe will help. Here's the map. I bet you could find what you are talking about on the map's website.

Aloha!

Post: #39

(11-06-2009 02:20 AM)Kona Wrote:  

(11-06-2009 01:59 AM)gringoed Wrote:  Slightly off-topic. It seems that current exchange rates are important for planning travel (and is a big reason why I'm going to Argentina).

Does anybody know a website that compiles all the major currency trends vs. USD into one simple graph? Something like that would make high value travel much easier for a lot of people.

Not a graph but a map maybe will help. Here's the map. I bet you could find what you are talking about on the map's website.

Aloha!

Kona, this is awesome!

Initial impressions:

Good to go now:
Ukraine
Poland
Jamaica
Argentina
Vietnam
Mexico

Bad to go now:
Australia
Brazil
Colombia
Chile
Europe in general

Post: #40

(11-06-2009 02:33 AM)gringoed Wrote:  

(11-06-2009 02:20 AM)Kona Wrote:  

(11-06-2009 01:59 AM)gringoed Wrote:  Slightly off-topic. It seems that current exchange rates are important for planning travel (and is a big reason why I'm going to Argentina).

Does anybody know a website that compiles all the major currency trends vs. USD into one simple graph? Something like that would make high value travel much easier for a lot of people.

Not a graph but a map maybe will help. Here's the map. I bet you could find what you are talking about on the map's website.

Aloha!

Kona, this is awesome!

Initial impressions:

Good to go now:
Ukraine
Poland
Jamaica
Argentina
Vietnam
Mexico

Bad to go now:
Australia
Brazil
Colombia
Chile
Europe in general

You could probably figure out the tables better than I can. Table.

I didn't even look at this stuff but I just got tickets for a Malaysia/Indo/Philippines trip. Things are gonna be cheap over there.

Aloha!

Post: #41

There is a good chance the dollar will strengthen in the next month or 2. Will be a better time to travel.

Post: #42

There is a good chance it will collapse too.

Post: #43

hey brah, you ever think about spending your winters in a snowboard resort like lake Tahoe or something ??? At least you can work part time and party it up and board all all the time. Snowboard chicks are easy lays , who are just looking for some fun for the weekend.

Post: #44

(11-06-2009 12:52 PM)NeVerGymLess Wrote:  hey brah, you ever think about spending your winters in a snowboard resort like lake Tahoe or something ??? At least you can work part time and party it up and board all all the time. Snowboard chicks are easy lays , who are just looking for some fun for the weekend.

Is this pic from Tahoe? Man, there's not one girl in that pic that isn't bangable.

Post: #45

I paid 550 USD for a tiny, studio apartment in "seedy" part of Copacobana, Rio de janiero...in 2006....."favela" street kids were everywhere, a gringo tourist was stabbed to death in front of the building at 9am on a saturday, i was drugged by a soccer playing teammate that i met in the building, nasty hookers everywhere (i admit some were hot, but after living there 6 months and seeing the same girl with a different guy every night, i wouldn't even fuck the hot ones), MORAL OF STORY: If you go to RIO and expect to stay in a nice furnished , modern, clean , apartment, in a safe neighborhood. Expect to pay 1200-1500 USD per month , for a 1 bedroom. Rio is not cheap for most of us...Food and drink was just slightly less then San Francisco...

Post: #46

(11-06-2009 08:22 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  Expect to pay 1200-1500 USD per month , for a 1 bedroom. Rio is not cheap for most of us...Food and drink was just slightly less then San Francisco...

To tell you the truth, even that is cheap when you think about it. It may seem expensive to guys that are used to hosteling their way around the world, but imagine how much an apartment in the U.S. or Europe would cost a month that had the same scenery as Rio and was within walking distance to some of the best beaches in the world? You'd be paying 3x that amount. A one bedroom in my neighborhood goes around around $1200 a month and it's out in the suburbs nowhere near the beach, yet alone much nightlife or spectacular views to be found. A shithole in NYC would already cost double a nice apartment in Rio, and that's without any beaches or stunning scenery. Then factor in that you're probably getting hosed on rent because you're a gringo. I'm sure locals pay less for similar apartments. Rio is still a bargain in that sense if you think of what something truly comparable would cost in the states.

Post: #47

(11-06-2009 03:11 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

(11-06-2009 12:52 PM)NeVerGymLess Wrote:  hey brah, you ever think about spending your winters in a snowboard resort like lake Tahoe or something ??? At least you can work part time and party it up and board all all the time. Snowboard chicks are easy lays , who are just looking for some fun for the weekend.

Is this pic from Tahoe? Man, there's not one girl in that pic that isn't bangable.

yeah brah... Any type of major snowboard resort will have a huge party vibe and bangin chicks.

Post: #48

(11-07-2009 12:30 AM)NeVerGymLess Wrote:  yeah brah... Any type of major snowboard resort will have a huge party vibe and bangin chicks.

When's the season start and end for that stuff?

Aloha!

Post: #49

Yeah Brazil is crazy expensive. I'm trying not to think about how much money I'm spending.

I'm with partytime though... dollar will be strengthening

Post: #50

(11-07-2009 12:45 AM)Kona Wrote:  

(11-07-2009 12:30 AM)NeVerGymLess Wrote:  yeah brah... Any type of major snowboard resort will have a huge party vibe and bangin chicks.

When's the season start and end for that stuff?

Aloha!

Seasons start end of November or early December, last till April- May.