Post: #51

(03-15-2013 06:01 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Thanks again for all the valuable tips and feedback IP!
Just a clarification, I didn't mean to entertain 2-3 girls going out at the same time every night. I meant 2-3 girls in my rotation (at least initially as that number will increase no doubt with time) and having one of them going out on a particular night.

I don't mind paying a girl's cab ride if the girl is hot and not a straight prepago specially if the girl is coming from a far away bairro.

It's good to know that good looking girls are not only in the higher social classes in Colombia cause the last thing I'd want is a stuck up bitch. I'd much prefer the more humble, sweet and down to earth middle class girl. They make better gfs and are a more enjoyable company in general.

One thing that has been mentioned a lot in here has been the flakyness of the Colombianas. How did you deal with that? I guess the best policy would be to have at least 2-3 girls lined up for every night as a back up should any of them flake, right?

Regarding online dating sites in Colombia, a few guys on this board complained that a) the quality is much better on the ground (which has also been my experience in other countries that I've been to) and b) and above all, that 95% of the girls on online sites geared towards gringos, are prepagos. Did you notice that too with the girls you pipelined online? I'll check Latinamericancupid.com and make a comparison with colombiancupid.
Speaking of online pipelining, how's FB for hunting ground in Colombia?Have you used that and if yes, was it worth the time, was the ROI good?

Thanks again!

No worries! Ok I got ya. Yeah I think that 2-3k should be good for money to play around with. During the day you shouldn't have to spend too much when taking a girl out. Yeah, the cab ride is probably going to be pretty common, I didn't mind it either. But I only paid the cab when it was late at night and they couldn't take a bus or the metro. During the day make the girl take the metro or bus. They shouldn't mind unless they are greedy bitches, and if they do mind, I would seriously consider dropping them unless they are a 9+. When I thought about it, even if it was a $10 ride, that's not much money for me, and for her that may be what she makes in a whole day.

You'll definitely be able to find plenty of girls that aren't high class that are very good looking. For me being a younger guy with not a real big bank roll, it was nice when I finally did meet a cool girl that didn't want me to pay for everything. Even though these girls expect you to pay for dinner and taxi, they are still a lot of fun to hang out with and very warm in general. From an outside POV when you talk about the girls expecting to pay for dinner and taxi, it sounds like they may be gold digging bitches, but it's not really the case. They will genuinely like you and treat you good, it's just their culture. Just don't let them take advantage, but you sound like you have a good head on your shoulders, you should know what to look for.

I have also heard the same about the girls on the pipelining sites being prepagos, but I didn't really experience it. It was just like I said, they expected dinner to be paid for and taxi, though they never asked directly, but they never asked for anything extra. And yes, you will find better talent on the ground, but that doesn't mean you won't find good talent online. Looking through LAC, I would find at least one girl on every page that I would want to bang, but most the time 2 or 3. And yes, you will experience a lot of flaking. It's a numbers game in Colombia. It's funny, it seems just about any girl will give you her number, but out of 10 numbers you get, maybe only 2 or 3 will respond. Your idea to set up 2 or 3 dates a night is not a bad idea, as 1 of 3 will probably flake, and if you have to blow off one, that's not the worse thing in the world. I wish I had started day gaming from the beginning. The girls are so friendly. It's so easy to day game here. I would ride around on the metro (The metro can be a prime spot to meet girls as well, just ask them how to get to x area) and check out the city a couple times a week. Head over to Calle 80, and around the stadium. Plenty of talent around there, without the large amounts of gringos, plus there is a university near by. Check out the malls too. If you take the Metro all the way to the end, at Bello, there is a nice mall that connects directly to the Metro. Bello isn't the best area, so definitely don't go walking around outside of the mall past dark. There's another nice mall in Belen, should be about a $5 ride from Poblado. The Monterrey Mall (One closest to Poblado) didn't seem that good, as it was mainly focused on electronics.

As far as facebook, I didn't try, but almost every Colombian girl has a facebook. Their facebooks are sneaky, they usually hide their friends, I'm assuming so the guys they are hooking up with don't see the other guys they've added. People in Colombia in general seemed to be promiscuous, which I didn't mind. All the girls complain about all the Colombian dudes having 5 girlfriends, that's why they don't like the guys (I don't know what makes them think the gringos are any different, maybe we're just better at covering it up . That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the girls are seeing a couple different guys as well. You may also run into the problem of meeting girls with kids. It seems like MANY girls have kids at young ages, and of those girls, it seemed 90% of the ones I came across were single mothers.

I'm gonna try and bust out a couple more of these in the next couple days. I should be able to give some good insight on Las Vegas, Miami, Denver, Lima, and Ecuador. I don't really want to bust out Brazil as it's been 3 years and everyone is saying prices have gone up (Though the value of the Real has gone down). I might do Vitoria because I really feel like it hasn't changed much in price in the last 3 years, along with many 2nd and 3rd tier cities.

Post: #52

Miami:

Miami is a tricky place because you can live in one area and pay a ton or live in another have very cheap rent. It goes with everything too, not just houses, but food, drinks, everything. I'm going to try and do my best to give you a realistic idea.

Housing:
So this is where it's the hardest to say. It all depends on where and what you want. I'll say it like this, for a studio on the lower end of the spectrum on Miami Beach, you're going to be paying minimum $800. Even a $1000 place isn't going to be great. Once you start spending $1200 you can start moving up to the middle of the spectrum, in a place like Flamingo, you can probably get a 2 BR for $2000-24000, which it's a nice condominium with lots of nice girls, a big pool area, restaurants, and a gym. Basically though, if you are planning on moving to Miami Beach in your early to mid 20's and you make 4k or less a month, plan on spending about $1000 on rent. Brickle prices are going to be pretty similar. If you go across the bridge to a more "hood" area, you can find stuff real cheap. A buddy of mine was paying $900 a month for a 5 bedroom and it wasn't in a terrible area (Wynwood), but that was a real good come up. Expect to pay around $12-1500 for a small 3 bedroom outside of the beach, brickel, coconut grove, or the gables.

Hotels: It completely depends on the time of season and place. Anywhere from $100-however many thousands you want to spend, i'm sure.

Food:
Food on the beach is expensive. For just a normal ass meal, look at spending $12 and up unless you are eating at Burger King. For a plate at a nice restaurant, expect to pay anywhere from $50-100 (Even more in some places). That's a nice place. You can still easily eat a good meal at night for $20-25. That's pretty standard across Miami, at least in the places you'll want to be. Sure you can find stuff much cheaper in shittier areas of town, but you don't want to be in those areas.

Taxis and Public Transit:
Taxis are fucking expensive. I'll put it to you like this, I lived 2 miles from work, which was 20 blocks, I paid $8 for my cab, then you have to tip, I always forked over $10 to get to work. If you are on the beach though, the buses are easy to take and only cost $2. There's even a South Beach Local that only costs $.25, but it only runs from 1st- 23rd (South point to the W). Another cool thing to know about is Swoop, and they just started another one, it's called something "bee." These are the little golf carts you see cruising around South Beach. They just work off tips. The only problem is sometimes they are busy and take forever to get to you. The people mover is easy to take downtown, but it isn't very practical, as it only really serves brickel and downtown.

Drinks:
I've never been anywhere where drinks are so expensive. You go to the W and get a nice cocktail, it's going to run you around $25. I was at Barton G for a friends birthday. Her dad is super wealthy and paid, we were ordering $50 cocktails. Ridiculous! These ARE upscale places, but still! You go to Mansion, which is just a typical club (Really touristy) and still, a Vodka Redbull will cost you $21 (All these prices are before tip too)! I came to find out that Remy Martin was actually cheaper (18) than a vodka redbull, so when I rarely did pay, I just drank cognac since it was the same price or cheaper than most drinks. Beers you are looking at $12. To buy a bottle, first of all there are table minimums in a lot of places. Typically if you are 5 guys, you're looking at a 2 or 3 bottle minimum, and a bottle will run around $400 just for the normal shit. Miami is no joke. If you move there in your 20's you basically have to find connections or you'll go broke. At a shitty bar, you are looking at 10-12 for a cocktail, and maybe $5-8 for a beer.

Covers:
Most places are $20-30, but it depends what's going on. At LIV, on a night where they have a top DJ, expect to be spending $150-200 on entrance alone. Most times at LIV you are going to want to order the tickets in advance. Some of these places aren't even going to let you in unless you know someone or are rolling with girls, hot girls too. If she's fat, she doesn't count as a girl. If she's ugly, she doesn't count as a girl. If you are a group of guys, no more than three, some places are going to tell you that you can go in for $100 and a lot of times they'll let you drink the $100 too, which isn't a terrible deal, cause you basically aren't paying cover. But what is a bad deal, is that that $100 won't even buy you 5 drinks after tipping.

Miscellaneous:

All these prices I'm just going to go off what you pay on the beach:

To have a dress shirt dry cleaned: $4
Massage: $55-90 for half hour/ $80-140 for an hour
Parking: $1.75 per hour, or $29 per night (Can be found cheaper, but that's about average)
Spa: $35-100 probably even more at the super high end ones
Movie Theater: $12
Gym membership: $80 a month and up
Car Rental: $60 a day and up

Post: #53

Lima:

Overall, Lima is not a very cheap city if you are living in a nice area. To be honest, it's worth visiting, but only for a week or two. After that you will get bored and the ugly women won't satisfy you. You'll probably be more keen to meeting the hotter Brazilian and Argentine tourists.

Housing:
Housing is one thing I don't know much about when it comes to Lima. I stayed in a hostel and paid $14 a night for a 4 bed dorm. I was looking with a Brazilian girl who was looking to live in Lima and it seemed like it was pretty close to Medellin prices in nice neighborhoods. $5-600 for a studio or more.

Taxis and Public Transit:
Taxi prices are negotiated before you enter the cab. Drivers are almost always going to try and rip you off if you aren't from there. Even if you are from Latin America and Spanish is your first language, they will hear your accent and try and rip you off as well. Always try and talk them down, and if they don't agree with your price, say ok thanks, and start to flag down another taxi. If your price is reasonable, half the time they'll tell you to get in and take your price. The buses cost $.40 for most short rides, super cheap. You can get to Punta Hermosa for less than $3 on bus and about $15-20 by taxi.

Food:
In Lima, you totally get what you pay for. You can get Lomo Saltado for $4.5, but it's gonna taste like shit. For a good lomo saltado you're gonna pay at least $10-15. Typically a good meal is gonna run you about that price and up. I highly recommend the Brazilian spot in Parque Kennedy called Medianaranja. Food is not cheap in Lima, but it's good. I did however go to a good pizza spot and had a nice personal pizza for $6. Not a bad deal. Can't remember the name of the spot.

Drinks:
A large beer is going to typically run you around $3 at normal spots. At a club, a small beer will run you the same. Liquor can be expensive. Look at paying $8 at a club for a mixed drink.

Club Entrance:
It usually runs around $5-10, but some places can be up to 20.

Miscellaneous:
Laundry: Super cheap. I washed close to all my clothes for $4, and I had a lot of clothes
Surf Bored Rentals: Should cost about $10
Entry to most sight seeing places: Should be only a couple bucks, maybe $3-6.

Post: #54

(03-15-2013 07:31 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  Miami:
To have a dress shirt dry cleaned: $4

LoL. Silly. Sounds like it's true that it is the second NYC. I really need to spend more time there to see what all the hype is about. I have only hung out there once during the first Obama inauguration.

Post: #55

(03-16-2013 09:38 PM)slothpiece Wrote:  

(03-15-2013 07:31 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  Miami:
To have a dress shirt dry cleaned: $4

LoL. Silly. Sounds like it's true that it is the second NYC. I really need to spend more time there to see what all the hype is about. I have only hung out there once during the first Obama inauguration.

Off the beach it's much cheaper, more like $2. In Colombia it was $5 though. To be completely honest, I found Miami to be more expensive than New York minus rent. Taxis are cheaper and typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not. I also prefer NY over Miami, but you would have to take that with a grain of sand because I only spent 4 days there. But I really enjoyed those 4 days and felt like I would be able to live there. I don't mind the fast pace or all the people, I actually kind of like it. Maybe you would get sick of it after a couple of months though.

Post: #56

It would be more attractive if it didn't charge $14 for a pack of smokes. Chicago is like $12 now.

Post: #57

Damn son, I paid $16 in a lot of places for smokes. I would straight up quit smoking if I lived there. I guess I should have posted cig costs. Miami it's about $7. Medellin like $2.50. Lima about $3.50.

Post: #58

(03-16-2013 09:56 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  Damn son, I paid $16 in a lot of places for smokes. I would straight up quit smoking if I lived there. I guess I should have posted cig costs. Miami it's about $7. Medellin like $2.50. Lima about $3.50.

Belgrade, Serbia - 2010 smokes going for 1-1.25 US. No wonder Vlade Divac smoked 1-2 packs a day in his playing days.

Why didn't i buy more to bring home, haha

Post: #59

(03-16-2013 09:49 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:38 PM)slothpiece Wrote:  

(03-15-2013 07:31 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  Miami:
To have a dress shirt dry cleaned: $4

LoL. Silly. Sounds like it's true that it is the second NYC. I really need to spend more time there to see what all the hype is about. I have only hung out there once during the first Obama inauguration.

Off the beach it's much cheaper, more like $2. In Colombia it was $5 though. To be completely honest, I found Miami to be more expensive than New York minus rent. Taxis are cheaper and typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not. I also prefer NY over Miami, but you would have to take that with a grain of sand because I only spent 4 days there. But I really enjoyed those 4 days and felt like I would be able to live there. I don't mind the fast pace or all the people, I actually kind of like it. Maybe you would get sick of it after a couple of months though.

It's all relative on cabs.

Cabs in Miami are so much cheaper than Southern California it's not even funny.

Cab rides feel free.

Quote:typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not.

Yeah there are.

Tons of cheap options on Alton Road and plenty of old school cheap spots.

You know this.

Post: #60

(03-17-2013 03:03 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:49 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:38 PM)slothpiece Wrote:  

(03-15-2013 07:31 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  Miami:
To have a dress shirt dry cleaned: $4

LoL. Silly. Sounds like it's true that it is the second NYC. I really need to spend more time there to see what all the hype is about. I have only hung out there once during the first Obama inauguration.

Off the beach it's much cheaper, more like $2. In Colombia it was $5 though. To be completely honest, I found Miami to be more expensive than New York minus rent. Taxis are cheaper and typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not. I also prefer NY over Miami, but you would have to take that with a grain of sand because I only spent 4 days there. But I really enjoyed those 4 days and felt like I would be able to live there. I don't mind the fast pace or all the people, I actually kind of like it. Maybe you would get sick of it after a couple of months though.

It's all relative on cabs.

Cabs in Miami are so much cheaper than Southern California it's not even funny.

Cab rides feel free.

Quote:typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not.

Yeah there are.

Tons of cheap options on Alton Road and plenty of old school cheap spots.

You know this.

I found lots of $5-6 meals in New York. There's lots of street food. I couldn't find much for 5-6 bucks in Miami. They do exist, but few and far between. In the city of Miami there is more stuff like this, but on the beach it's tough to find. I do like a lot of the spots on Alton though. I used to hit up Los Perros a lot late night. The Colombian food in Miami is arguably better than the Colombian food in Colombia. You're right, taxis are expensive in Cali, Vegas too!

Post: #61

(03-18-2013 10:12 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  In the city of Miami there is more stuff like this, but on the beach it's tough to find. I do like a lot of the spots on Alton though. I used to hit up Los Perros a lot late night. The Colombian food in Miami is arguably better than the Colombian food in Colombia.

Funny enough, I feel the same way about Vietnamese food in Dallas/Ft. Worth (right neighborhoods of course) as in it's better than the stuff I've had in Vietnam. Third largest population of Vietnamese people here after 1) Los Angeles area and 2) Houston.

Post: #62

(03-18-2013 10:12 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(03-17-2013 03:03 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:49 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:38 PM)slothpiece Wrote:  

(03-15-2013 07:31 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  Miami:
To have a dress shirt dry cleaned: $4

LoL. Silly. Sounds like it's true that it is the second NYC. I really need to spend more time there to see what all the hype is about. I have only hung out there once during the first Obama inauguration.

Off the beach it's much cheaper, more like $2. In Colombia it was $5 though. To be completely honest, I found Miami to be more expensive than New York minus rent. Taxis are cheaper and typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not. I also prefer NY over Miami, but you would have to take that with a grain of sand because I only spent 4 days there. But I really enjoyed those 4 days and felt like I would be able to live there. I don't mind the fast pace or all the people, I actually kind of like it. Maybe you would get sick of it after a couple of months though.

It's all relative on cabs.

Cabs in Miami are so much cheaper than Southern California it's not even funny.

Cab rides feel free.

Quote:typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not.

Yeah there are.

Tons of cheap options on Alton Road and plenty of old school cheap spots.

You know this.

I found lots of $5-6 meals in New York. There's lots of street food. I couldn't find much for 5-6 bucks in Miami. They do exist, but few and far between. In the city of Miami there is more stuff like this, but on the beach it's tough to find. I do like a lot of the spots on Alton though. I used to hit up Los Perros a lot late night. The Colombian food in Miami is arguably better than the Colombian food in Colombia. You're right, taxis are expensive in Cali, Vegas too!

I know you hit up La Sandwicherie a bunch too, right player?

Post: #63

Bali: dirt cheap.

Housing ranges from $5/night in the shittiest Poppies II hotel to around 100/night for a 5-star resort. You can rent an apartment for around $60/month in Jimbaran. Ubud is a bit more expensive - think 10-15/night for a hotel - but also cleaner and quieter.

Transport: motorscooter, $5/day high end. Goes down from there. If you rent for a month plus you can get it to $1 per day.
Car plus driver - $20-30/day.

Food - Street food is under a dollar. Restaurants are a couple bucks. Kuta Steakhouse will feed you a steak and beer for about $5-7. Jimbaran fish restaurants will hose you for $40-60.

Clothing: cheaper to buy than bring and wash. Seriously. A shirt is a buck, maybe two if you're a bad bargainer. The exceptions are boardshorts and shoes.

Alcohol: $2 for a large beer. $3-5 for a cocktail in a bar. $4 for a 2L bottle of disgusting homemade arak.

Other drugs: 4 years in prison for weed. Mushrooms cheap and everywhere. Rx narcotics are cheap and OTC from the pharmacies. We went to buy painkillers for a first aid kit and ended up with a box of oxycontin for $18. It said "harus dengan bukan recipe" but they didn't give a shit. In fact, they recommended it.

Surfboards: can pick up something in the used shops for $150-400, or get a sick shape from an OG Cali/N Shore/Bali artisan for 400-600. MPM might know who I'm talking about - he's an old school Del Mar guy underneath it all - but I'm not telling.

Post: #64

Morocco:

Currency: Moroccan Dirham (MAD). Current exchange rate 8.5MAD/USD; approx. 10MAD/EUR; 13.5MAD/GBP.

Prices depend heavily on bargaining abilities.

Lodging:

Starts at around 70 MAD/night. In Taghazout, this gets you a bed in a large house. Maybe shared room, maybe single. In M'kech, you'll be in a shitty dorm packed head-to-gills. In Essaouira, five of us rented a nice apartment that slept all five comfortably for 350/night.

I paid 130/night for a long-term stay in a penthouse master bedroom with private balcony overlooking the water in Tagh. Cheapest decent hotel I could get in Mkech was 200/night for a single, 300/night for a triple with wifi.

Bottle water, 1.5 L: 4-8 MAD, six packs from 26-36 MAD

Beer: LOL SON THIS IS MUSLIM LAND. No, seriously. To get beer in Tagh, it's a 7MAD bus ride or 50MAD taxi each way to Agadir and then beers are 16-22 MAD each for 16oz cans with no discount for volume. If you can find a bar - easier in the cities, but still an adventure - expect to pay 30-50 MAD for a 12 oz bottle/can.

The cheapest way to get drunk on decent alcohol is to buy Stolichnaya or Moskovskaya, which are around 175-200MAD for a liter.

Food: A restaurant meal will set you back 40-70 MAD, plus a week of low-grade diarrhea, for standard fare. Street food is cheaper and safer, plus better tasting. Rabat and MKech had the best street food. I got a delicious and filling kefta sandwich with egg and cheese in Rabat for 16 MAD. Spend 100 MAD in M'kech's Djemaa el Fna night market and you will gorge yourself silly on some of the most amazing delicacies known to man.

Groceries: Eggs are 1MAD apiece. Yogurt 2MAD. Box of oatmeal will set you back 18-20. Bread is dirt cheap, but I don't eat wheat often so I don't remember the prices. Your cheese option is La Vache Quirit and it's 20MAD or so for 8 wedges, 30 for 16. Toilet paper is so cheap I forget what I paid. Fresh vegetables are done by weight and 10MAD will buy a lime, cucumber, bell pepper, couple carrots, onion, and few cloves of garlic. Meat at the butcher shop is 70-80MAD/kilo for steak, 90MAD/kilo for ground beef. You end up getting a bone-in ribeye or porterhouse for about $3-4. It's good meat, but tough. Fish varies from 20-50MAD/kg.

Travel: Trains from Rabat/Casa to Mkech are 130MAD 2d class to around 220 1st. I took 2d each time and didn't notice any difference passing by the other cabin. I think you're guaranteed a seat in first class. Buses are cheap enough - Agadir to Mkech is 90-100 each way. Grande taxis are a different matter - you rent the entire taxi and split the cost among all travelers. We took one from Tagh to Essaouira (2.5 hrs) for 480MAD each way split 4 ways. Petit taxis, which go around cities, are metered. Usually. Mkech drivers try not to use them. Djemaa el Fna to the train station should be 10-15MAD by the meter. You'll get quoted 40.

Clothes: Can be cheap for Moroccan clothes, if they're real. I got suckered and I'm a veteran at buying clothing in third world markets. If the guy says it's any sort of animal product, pull out a lighter and see if it melts. Some shopkeepers will do this right off the bat to show you the quality. Western clothes are more expensive. Haggle, haggle, haggle - but at some point, your time becomes worth more than the fight. Case in point: I bought a leather jacket. It should have been 650-700 MAD, according to my Moroccan friend. I got quoted 1500 and left with it for 850 after an hour and a half. Silver is cheap, too. I had the Moroccan buddy buy that for me. Expect to pay about 20MAD/gram for the finished piece.

Carpets: Are you an absolute expert in rugs? Then don't buy one. You're getting fucked.

Hash: Enormous variance. How well do you know your cannabis products? How Moroccan are you? Low-end price I saw was about $1.20 USD/gram for the best-quality stuff, bought by a Moroccan in the Rif Mountains. High-end price I saw was around ten times that, for low-end "top quality, double zero, my friend" hash bought by a young Australian in Taghazout.

Marijuana (green): I didn't see any, but logic dictates that it must be available at least in the form of shake if you go to the source.

Other drugs: none.

Surf equipment: expensive. $45USD for a traction pad or leash, $3 for wax, $20 and up for ding repair, etc. Bring your boards and wetsuits.

Post: #65

(03-18-2013 11:07 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(03-18-2013 10:12 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(03-17-2013 03:03 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:49 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(03-16-2013 09:38 PM)slothpiece Wrote:  LoL. Silly. Sounds like it's true that it is the second NYC. I really need to spend more time there to see what all the hype is about. I have only hung out there once during the first Obama inauguration.

Off the beach it's much cheaper, more like $2. In Colombia it was $5 though. To be completely honest, I found Miami to be more expensive than New York minus rent. Taxis are cheaper and typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not. I also prefer NY over Miami, but you would have to take that with a grain of sand because I only spent 4 days there. But I really enjoyed those 4 days and felt like I would be able to live there. I don't mind the fast pace or all the people, I actually kind of like it. Maybe you would get sick of it after a couple of months though.

It's all relative on cabs.

Cabs in Miami are so much cheaper than Southern California it's not even funny.

Cab rides feel free.

Quote:typically food is cheaper as well in New York. NY there are lots of cheap options. In Miami there are not.

Yeah there are.

Tons of cheap options on Alton Road and plenty of old school cheap spots.

You know this.

I found lots of $5-6 meals in New York. There's lots of street food. I couldn't find much for 5-6 bucks in Miami. They do exist, but few and far between. In the city of Miami there is more stuff like this, but on the beach it's tough to find. I do like a lot of the spots on Alton though. I used to hit up Los Perros a lot late night. The Colombian food in Miami is arguably better than the Colombian food in Colombia. You're right, taxis are expensive in Cali, Vegas too!

I know you hit up La Sandwicherie a bunch too, right player?

You know it. I love that spot. Healthy and delicious. Always fresh too. Probably the best quick sandwich on the beach.

Post: #66

(07-29-2015 03:12 AM)Nalka Wrote:  

(07-28-2015 09:27 PM)lavidaloca Wrote:  

(07-28-2015 08:15 PM)Nalka Wrote:  Living is cheap. You can live comfortably on $600/month once you get to know the place. That makes it easier to support yourself independently.

All in all, moving to Chile was the best choice I ever made.

Could you break down your monthly costs in santiago? That seems absurdly cheap to me.

That is a rough estimate of the cost for a young single guy living in Santiago. My costs are a lot higher than that at the moment. For business reasons I rent an appartment in a nice neighborhood in Santiago that costs me 110,000CLP including electicity, wáter, cable tv and internet. The house in Puerto Montt is costing me 165,000CPL all included. I own the house in Chiloé so I only pay utilities and maintenence to the tune of 50,000CLP per month. Also no property taxes yay.

$600 x current exchange rate of 669 = 401,400CLP I have lived on as Little as 200,000CLP not that I recomend going that low.

110,000 apartment
30,000 transportation
90,000 food, all fresh good quality
10,000 personal higine
50,000 clothes
17,000 smart phone with internet and 600 min of calls x month
70,000 party every weekend eating out twice a week, movies etc
20,000 misc.
__________________________________________
397,000 total

That is just a baseline for confortable living. I did not include a car because in Santiago you really dont need one unless its for business purposes. For a car add another 80-100.
If you are at the club 4 nights per week or like fine dining or designer clothes you have to add costs for each. A mothly gym membership will cost you anywhere from 18,000 to 30,000CLP.

Airbnb is hellishly expensive compared to finding housing locally. Pick an área you want to rent in then walk around looking for papers in the window, pinwall postings and ask at corner convinience stores. You can get a place that way for a fraction of the Airbnb cost. generally from old owners who don't know how to internet and are using prices 10 years out of date. www.elrastro.cl is also a good place to look.

Post: #67

London

1GBP = 1.56USD

Accommodation

Sharing a room with another person in share house (Zone 1-2)
- $625pcm

Dog box single bed room + bills in share house (Zone 1-2)
- $950pcm

Double bed room + bills in share house (Zone 1-2)
- $1090pcm

Dodgy studio flat + bills (Zone 1-2)
- $2100pcm+

Nice One bedroom flat + bills (Zone 1-2)
- $3000pcm+

Transport

Paper ticket tube one stop (Zone 1-2)
- $7.50

Daily tube pass (Zone 1-2)
- $13.10

Monthly tube pass (Zone 1-2)
- $192

Monthly Rail Card from commuter town (St Albans) to London (17 miles)
- $460 (does not include tube)

Monthly Rail Card from commuter town (Reading) to London (41 miles)
- $625 (does not include tube)

Social

Club entry in Central London
- $31-47

Average pint
- $6.25-7

Average cocktail
- $14

Black taxi at night (5 miles)
- $42-50

Dinner for one (average)
- $30

Dinner for one (nice restuarant)
- $60

TV tax (annual)
- $227

Average flights to Europe (return)
- $125-175

Post: #68

(07-29-2015 05:46 PM)Que enspastic Wrote:  London

1GBP = 1.56USD

Accommodation

Sharing a room with another person in share house (Zone 1-2)
- $625pcm

Dog box single bed room + bills in share house (Zone 1-2)
- $950pcm

Double bed room + bills in share house (Zone 1-2)
- $1090pcm

Dodgy studio flat + bills (Zone 1-2)
- $2100pcm+

Nice One bedroom flat + bills (Zone 1-2)
- $3000pcm+

Transport

Paper ticket tube one stop (Zone 1-2)
- $7.50

Daily tube pass (Zone 1-2)
- $13.10

Monthly tube pass (Zone 1-2)
- $192

Monthly Rail Card from commuter town (St Albans) to London (17 miles)
- $460 (does not include tube)

Monthly Rail Card from commuter town (Reading) to London (41 miles)
- $625 (does not include tube)

Social

Club entry in Central London
- $31-47

Average pint
- $6.25-7

Average cocktail
- $14

Black taxi at night (5 miles)
- $42-50

Dinner for one (average)
- $30

Dinner for one (nice restuarant)
- $60

TV tax (annual)
- $227

Average flights to Europe (return)
- $125-175

Damn, makes me second-guess moving over there on a 120 pound a day teachers salary. $192 monthly for the train? $30 dinner for one? I can't cook so being able to find cheap food is a big deal. Expensive club entry and the possible budget-breaking taxi home if I pull is also worrying.

Would I be able to have any type of fun on a 600 pound a week income?

Post: #69

5 mile taxis for $50? Sounds like taxi drivers can make more than most lawyers lol.

Post: #70

(07-29-2015 11:25 PM)Adrenaline Wrote:  Damn, makes me second-guess moving over there on a 120 pound a day teachers salary. $192 monthly for the train? $30 dinner for one? I can't cook so being able to find cheap food is a big deal. Expensive club entry and the possible budget-breaking taxi home if I pull is also worrying.

Would I be able to have any type of fun on a 600 pound a week income?

You would be on 31,200 salary which is 2025 post-tax monthly take home. This is the average salary that Londoners earn.

You would probably spend 45% on rent + tube (700GBP is standard for double room in a house share in Zone 1-2). If you bike this would save on transport.

If you don't learn to cook you will burn through your remaining 1132 GBP. This isn't Bangkok. A sandwich from Pret is 3-4GBP, pizza from Dominoes is 9GBP, a cheap Indian meal on Brick Lane is 10-12GBP, a meal at McDonalds is around 4.50-5GBP.

You can get around black taxis by using Uber. The tube will operate at night from September onwards on Fri-Sat.

You will have a pretty good life here if you share accommodation. However, don't expect to save much money. You probably won't be able to afford a place to rent on your own and it is highly likely you will never be able to afford to buy a small apartment anywhere in London.

Post: #71

It would actually be 2400 pounds a year before tax because teachers only work 40 weeks a year and I wouldn't be getting paid in holidays! So I would be well below average by the sounds of it.

Post: #72

In SE Asia, KL, Melacca, Seremban and Singapore.

Post: #73

700GBP a week before tax is enough to live an OK, student-ish vibe London lifestyle. If you're 22/23 and just finishing uni I'd say go for it, you can slum it for a year or two and enjoy the experience. If you're older than that I'd advise against it though. You won't be eating out in nice restaurants, you won't be getting taxis, you'll struggle to go on big nights out to clubs regularly etc. Its no life for someone 25+. Certainly not a life moving to the UK for.

London is a world capital city with huge opportunities for entertainment... if you're on a good wage. If you're on under £50k a year you're not going to be able to take enough advantage of the city to make the cost of living worthwhile.

Post: #74

Here's a quick one:
Beirut Lebanon, the surprisingly expensive city
1 USD = 1,500 LBP
Rent of Studio in Hamra (student area close to pubs) = ~1000 USD / Month (or ~80 USD if per day)
Fast food McDo Burger King etc= 8-10 USD per person
Drink in midrange pub in Hamra area or Gemmayze Area (more hipsterish than Hamra) = 5 USD
Taxi (single) = 7 USD within Beirut, or 3 USD if shared

Post: #75

This is an old thread but I thought I would bump it again.

Housing costs are going through the roof in my city.

Just curious what you guys are paying?