Where Beer Does Flow and Men Chunder

I am in Australia for the week for work.

Before I left, Mike Wey was arguing a point that Australia would be expensive for US travelers. If I lived in the world that Mike described, he would right. This world depicted a person who had been traveling regularly to Australia for the past 10-15 years. If that were the world I lived in, indeed, he would be correct. Incredibly, the exchange rate now actually favors the Australian dollar - $1.00 US buys a mere AU$.985 AU$. Ouch.

But, look here, there are still bargains to be had Down Under! This jacket is only AU $200 down here and a whopping $280 US in America.

As expected, food prices are about the same…in Sydney it’s about AU $8 – AU $15 for a basic meal…about the same in San Francisco. Prices in supermarkets and convenience stores also seem about the same.

Australia, and most other regions, has gotten WAY more expensive relative to the weakening US dollar. Of course, this is especially true with any imported goods. For example, an $80 US Timberland shoe is way more expensive in the Land Down Under, because they have to pay to import the product – including various taxes and shipping costs. This $80 US shoe costs around $250 AU at the Myers down the street from my hotel. Because many goods in Australia are imported from the US, the average American good, here in Australia, are absurdly pricey. Australians traveling to US, embark on some major shopping sprees.

Basic economic stuff, I know, but a real world consumer perspective on the weak US dollar.