We were talking about this in a cafe yesterday and yes, at times I feel as though we were basically high-fiving ourselves for getting out there and seeing the world and this is kind of mean but the sentiment is still true about a lot of the things we were saying.
When I am back in the United States and for the others there that were from Germany, England, and South Africa, we were lamenting how terribly expensive literally anything is back in our home countries. There are a lot of reasons why this is the case such as economies of scale and the fact that foreign markets would not be able to endure the prices that we charge back in our home countries. At the same time though it kind of makes you wonder exactly why the costs of goods and services are so high back at our homes.
I'll speak for Americans because that is the nationality that I am and most of the people I grew up with are there still. Many of these people have never traveled internationally and if they have it was only to go on a Carnival cruise or to go spend a couple of weeks somewhere in the Caribbean where things have inflated prices anyway. These people have never just packed up a bag and headed to a cheap country and therefore they are completely unaware that hotels do not have to cost $200 a night and meals generally speaking are rarely $50 a person. Don't get me wrong, you can find these things if you are looking for them almost anywhere in the world but for where I am now in Mexico, you would be looking at either a tourist trap area like Cancun or if you were somewhere else you would be dining in a seriously fancy place if you spent that kind of money.
In USA spending $50 a person dining out is just how much it costs to go basically anywhere that isn't fast food.
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for $50 a person in Mexico, you will be dining in a place with real class and top notch food
The people that have not traveled are unaware of this and perhaps that is a good thing. For me, I would just be angry all the time when I realize that I can get several weeks worth of dinners overseas for the cost of one big night at Outback Steakhouse. Actually, this is the way that I feel every time that return to the United States for any longer period of time. When I am there I usually will end up eating at home most of the time and I still grumble and complain when I am shopping for groceries - which are also dramatically more expensive in USA than abroad.
I try to hold my tongue when I am back in USA visiting because I think it would just make people feel mad if they were to find out that 75% of the world has the same offerings that we have in USA, sometimes better offerings, for 1/5 the price on almost anything.
Then we get to clothing and how again, in 75% of the world you can have custom-made clothes done for far less than it costs to get something from a chain store in USA. Even when you shop in a place like H&M the prices for the same merchandise is dramatically lower that it would be at the SAME STORE in the United States. Again, I realize that real estate costs play a very big part in determining the retail price passed on to customers but it is still frustrating to see a t-shirt cost 4x as much depending on which store you are in.
This is the reason why I try to live most of my life outside of the USA and I am fortunate that I have built my life in a manner that makes this all possible. Whenever I am back in my home country it seems like almost anything that I have to buy just makes me angry. The last time I flew into JFK airport in New York City I bought a Dr. Pepper near the airport and it was nearly $4. I can get the same thing in Mexico for 30 cents.
I wonder if these people were aware that things are so much cheaper abroad if they would contemplate joining us. There is a very large group of nomadic individuals or long-term residents that couldn't really imagine returning to the inflated prices of their home countries. I am definitely in that group.