Figuring out the standard cost of living in different countries is way more complicated than just looking at the price of a single meal. There's a ton of costs that go into it. Like in some places the food might be pretty cheap but good luck finding an affordable place to live or paying your power bill and and what counts as one standard meal anyway? Is it ingredients you buy and cook yourself, so you just look at the price of the food but not the time it takes to make it? Or is it what you'd pay for a meal at a restaurant, but even then prices are totally different if it's fast food or some fancy place. Theres so many things that impact it. No way you can tell just by a single meal's cost.
I agree that one meal won't be enough to see a perfect representation of the standard of living but if you actually try and make it daily in the span of a month, you can probably calculate the average food cost that a household spend on one meal of the day, the time of meal is a big factor though. But what I've suggested is flimsy though as you've mentioned, location of where they've got their food would also be a factor and those locations might or might not be a melting pot of different working classes in a population. In my country, I can't be exact too as I still live with my parents so I don't spend money on food so I can't be sure how much is one meal but if we're talking lunch which is when I spend my money, I would say that around 1$ to 3$ is what I spend but the 3$ is big already, that's for when I really want to satisfy what I'm craving during that time or for a long while. 
Topic: How Much Does Food Cost in Your Country? - page 6. (Read 1317 times)
In Indonesia.
Average income: $200
Cost of living:
1. House rent (including utility bills): $65
2. Transportation: $10-$30
3. Food: $60-$100
All calculations per month, cost of standard meal around $0.64-$1.28 which usually you will get rice, fried chicken, some vegetables and ice tea.
Yes, it's true what you said, the average income of each worker in all cities in Indonesia is the range you said, except for big cities, This is different from the income of those who work and live in the city. the opinion is much greater than other areas, of course the expenditure is also much greater, from accommodation to transportation it is not too far from what you say in terms of costs, Renting a place to live is quite expensive, around $100, from food needs for a day you can earn $6 and even then the side dishes are quite simple, grilled chicken, various kinds of vegetables and sweet iced tea. Average income: $200
Cost of living:
1. House rent (including utility bills): $65
2. Transportation: $10-$30
3. Food: $60-$100
All calculations per month, cost of standard meal around $0.64-$1.28 which usually you will get rice, fried chicken, some vegetables and ice tea.
I want to know about the cost of living and average income in each country. Can I ask that here?
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
Note: I don't need the tables issued by the government because they are usually different from the reality on the ground
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
Note: I don't need the tables issued by the government because they are usually different from the reality on the ground
First of all I don't want to mention the name of the country I live in for privacy reasons but I can say that I live in a country where the income level is not very high within the borders of Europe. When we subtract my share of house rent from the entire salary (including bills) on average I end up with an amount between 950-1.000 USD per month. (I don't have a fixed salary for each month because of my performance bonus for each month.)
To talk about food prices;
In a mid-level restaurant, meal prices generally vary between 10 USD and 20 USD with a drink. A simple McDonald's menu varies between 6 USD and 10 USD. The cost of buying food products from the market and cooking at home varies between 2-3 USD depending on the sauce used in simple dishes such as pasta and chicken and meat dishes vary between 5-10 USD per person on average. A quality piece and a good meat dish can cost 10 USD or more even though it is usually made at home.
A minimum wage per day in our capital is 610 Philippine peso so that's around $10.7 for working 8 hours a day + 1 hour of lunch break. Too low honestly compared with cost of living here and take note, that it is even lower rate in the countryside because we have this "Manila rate" or capital rate. The calculation is $10.7 * 5 = $214+ if you work 5 times a week. And do the calculation if it's 6 times a week. Very low, honestly and that's why most of us have side hustles.
well.. that's the minimum wage, which means there's potential to earn a higher salary than that. It's indeed interesting to learn about some countries setting low wages for ordinary jobs. However, after researching the cost of food in the Philippines, it's not significantly different from my country. This means there's still an opportunity for filipinos to have some savings after meeting basic needs like food and bills.As for bills and utilities, it not much different from Indonesia. I can assume that the wage is relatively low when compared to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. In Jakarta, the minimum wage for workers is around $15 per day with a 7 hour workday... and food prices are slightly lower, as there's still regular quality rice available at $1 per kg. Maybe people in Jakarta can save more compared to those in Manila.
The websites I used as references to get food price information are: https://hikersbay.com/prices/philippines?lang=id
https://jejakpiknik.com/biaya-hidup-di-filipina/#2_Tagihan_Utilitas%E2%9D%A4%EF%B8%8F
Here in Romania , everything went up in price! Absolutely everything and it's getting worse and worse as the minimum wage is still the same but almost every grocery have increase in value aprox 35% which is insane for a country like Romania. We don't have Euro , we don't have salaries like in western europe and yet , we have the same prices like we are using Euro as currency and we live in Western Europe which is not fair at all and that's why I kinda don't like the EU anymore. I think we Romanians , we are the only ones who can save our country for collapsing because it's clearly we are heading in that direction and our fake and corrupted officials are laughing in our faces. 
People in Asia or my country always dream of Europe and they think it is paradise and the most worth living place after America, but it's amazing to see you share about what's going on there. And one thing you also need to know is that what you are going through in your country is exactly what we are going through, and many places are even worse. The only people who don't feel these bad things are the rich, and the majority of people in the middle class and below are experiencing terrible things from the price increase of everything. But complaining is useless, it won't bring prices down, there is no second solution other than finding ways to increase our income.
And having a side income or additional job is a good way to still be able to meet our living needs, without having to reduce the important things in our intake that we must continue to eat to stay healthy and smart. And this is what I have to prioritize in a situation like this, so that I, my wife and my children stay healthy by eating healthy food.
There's no point in complaining because it's not just us who feel it, but almost everyone and all countries experience it, especially the lower middle class.
Yes, there is no point in complaining even if we move to another country because we are all in the same situation. If we move to another country and just wait for the government to support us or wait for the crisis and inflation to pass without doing anything else, we will not get better.
We have no other solution than increasing income by any means, other than this solution, I really can't think of any other solution. I also have to work longer hours so my family can have enough meals instead of waiting for the government to help. I never expected them to come help me, if I don't save myself, no one will come to save me. That's my philosophy in life.
Yes, it seems like food price increases are happening in almost all countries, and we have to accept this because everyone feels the impact of rising food prices. And in a situation like this we are required to be smart and independent to be able to overcome it and increasing income is something that must be done.
And having a side income or additional job is a good way to still be able to meet our living needs, without having to reduce the important things in our intake that we must continue to eat to stay healthy and smart. And this is what I have to prioritize in a situation like this, so that I, my wife and my children stay healthy by eating healthy food.
There's no point in complaining because it's not just us who feel it, but almost everyone and all countries experience it, especially the lower middle class.
In my country, last several weeks rising prices of basic necessities such as rice make us on difficult position have to back up with our basic necessities because not enough with payment salary. Its really important have to back up our income with side job due every day the increasing up or food cost. Right now with our money inflation we have face another thing with food price keep increase up every day and relying on income from salary is not enough to meet basic daily needs.And having a side income or additional job is a good way to still be able to meet our living needs, without having to reduce the important things in our intake that we must continue to eat to stay healthy and smart. And this is what I have to prioritize in a situation like this, so that I, my wife and my children stay healthy by eating healthy food.
There's no point in complaining because it's not just us who feel it, but almost everyone and all countries experience it, especially the lower middle class.
Having family make us have working hard and smart way how to get passive income not only from main job but also need side job with highest payment salary if want back up with all our family needed. Keep working hard and spent some of our income for investing if want make balance later because we need take rest later if not possibility work anymore.
I want to know about the cost of living and average income in each country. Can I ask that here?
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu?
If you go to fastfoods restaurants, the typical menu with rice and viand will cost you around $1.5 and up. But if it's just like the street restaurant, you'll already have food for at least $1 or even lesser. It's like meat and it will cost you lesser if it's vegetable. Usually, the servings for these foods aren't enough to make you full but at least you're able to eat and survive for that time.For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu?
What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
A minimum wage per day in our capital is 610 Philippine peso so that's around $10.7 for working 8 hours a day + 1 hour of lunch break. Too low honestly compared with cost of living here and take note, that it is even lower rate in the countryside because we have this "Manila rate" or capital rate. The calculation is $10.7 * 5 = $214+ if you work 5 times a week. And do the calculation if it's 6 times a week. Very low, honestly and that's why most of us have side hustles. 
Minimum wage as at 1st September 2023 was increased officially from $41.10 to $80.95 on paper, but some people are still receiving the old rates of $41.10 and some even less than that because some employers do not care about minimum wage.
Is this the minimum wage limit set by your country? I think it's very small, I come from a third world country and the minimum wage limit in my country is determined based on the province of my country, the amount varies depending on the provisions but from what I know the minimum is around $150. Although in practice not everyone gets the minimum wage, especially those who work in the small private sector. The minimum wage only applies to large companies and people who work in the government sector. May I know which country are you from?
I want to know about the cost of living and average income in each country. Can I ask that here?
The cost of living for most people may vary and depends on how much income they get from work because usually the cost of living will be balanced with our respective incomes. You are free to ask anything, but are there any conclusions that we can discuss here to provide a solution to the problem?No, I am not looking for a solution to this problem because I am not capable of solving such a complex problem.
Note: I don't need the tables issued by the government because they are usually different from the reality on the ground
I also want to know why you intend to know this price and whether it is related to the increase in the price of goods which continues to increase in the increasingly difficult economic situation in society.Yes, I have a prediction that the world will experience a food crisis in the next few years. I speculate that this will start in Europe. Maybe I will ask the same thing in the next few years to ask the same thing and how prices have changed or are still stable
I would say on average a breakfast costs around $5-7, lunch around $8-10 and dinner around $15 or so. Now this differs greatly depending on where at in the country you plan on getting the meal from. A dinner downtown chicago will cost a heck of a lot more than one in say Carbondale Illinois, a small little college town.
Wow, the price is very expensive. Is a $5-$7 meal the standard meal most Americans eat?
Imagine that for only Rp.5000 or $0.30 you can enjoy rice with side dishes to relieve your hunger.
Don't forget, "Nasi Padang" which costs only $0.6, is a food that unites the nation because we can enjoy delicious beef "rendang"
I want to know about the cost of living and average income in each country. Can I ask that here?
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
Note: I don't need the tables issued by the government because they are usually different from the reality on the ground
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
Note: I don't need the tables issued by the government because they are usually different from the reality on the ground
For my country Nigeria the prices of food and other household items have skyrocketed recently.
House rent depending your choice of location: the price ranges from $200-$1000 per annual.
2. For a good meal, the price is around $5, for a single but for a family, you can budget more.
Electricity bill price is around $15 per month depending on your usage.
I am from a Third World country. Price of foods went up a lot because of the inflation happening all over the world. So here's a detail for food cost in my country (Bangladesh). Maybe it will be hard to compare a Third World country's price with USD but I will try to explain it with some example.
So the average income here in Bangladesh is around $243 US dollar. You can rent a house with $100 plus per month. Excluding the additional fees. Depending on the house you want to rent it could also be from $50 to $100. So this is an average house rental cost.
If you want a decent meal then you need to at least spend $3 to $5. If you want to have something more than average then you need at least $10 to $15 for that. That's just prepared food served in food hotels.
1 kg beef meat will cost you $7 plus.
1 kg rice will cost you $0.63(+/-)
1L soybean oil will cost you $2.5 (+/-)
All the stuff like vegetable and ingredients for cooking could cost minimum of $10 to $15. Could vary from time to time based on market condition.
Minimum wage in Bangladesh is $25. So you can imagine how most of the people are suffering and how much it costs for us to get the food.
That feels like there is something wrong fundamentally there all together. I mean even something as simple as rice could cost 63 cents, and the minimum wage is 25 dollars, if that's the reality you are talking about that means your entire one month worth of effort worths as much as less than 40k of rice? Is that true? If that is true, you are making just a little bit more than 1kg per rice per day, that's just not normal, that is not how any nation should be, that is worse than anything else I have heard.So the average income here in Bangladesh is around $243 US dollar. You can rent a house with $100 plus per month. Excluding the additional fees. Depending on the house you want to rent it could also be from $50 to $100. So this is an average house rental cost.
If you want a decent meal then you need to at least spend $3 to $5. If you want to have something more than average then you need at least $10 to $15 for that. That's just prepared food served in food hotels.
1 kg beef meat will cost you $7 plus.
1 kg rice will cost you $0.63(+/-)
1L soybean oil will cost you $2.5 (+/-)
All the stuff like vegetable and ingredients for cooking could cost minimum of $10 to $15. Could vary from time to time based on market condition.
Minimum wage in Bangladesh is $25. So you can imagine how most of the people are suffering and how much it costs for us to get the food.
I have heard that there were like 100-120 dollars range for Bangladesh workers, but I think that wasn't the case for everyone? That's just for one workers in the factory or something? Feels like it's quite difficult to arrange something like that, and I did not see that happening at any given moment. I hope that people could realize that they are not going to end up with anything that would be weird to handle, we should be able to see those people live a better life.
So far, the most expensive commodity today is the tomato; last week it was around 1.75$ per kilo, but now it has increased too much; it hurts the pocket, honestly speaking, because it is now at the price of 2.3$ per kilo, followed by potatoes, which last week were around 1.9$ per kilo and are now at a price of 1.8$ per kilo.
Although the others have gone down, they can still be considered expensive. That's why we can't do anything; we really have to survive and find a way to get a source instead of complaining and stressing.
I think tomatoes is one of the most expensive commodities in the market, but since it is this way for people to cut the expenses of buying tomatoes in the market, I think tomatoes is what people can plant in their environment to reduce cost of price in the market. Although the others have gone down, they can still be considered expensive. That's why we can't do anything; we really have to survive and find a way to get a source instead of complaining and stressing.
The price of things in the market keeps getting high.
I think the best thing people needs to do now is to go into farming to plant some products which will reduce expenses of buying things.
~snip
Yeah, from the information you give we are quite similar. But the thing is, we can never compare each other and come to a same term when it comes to value of food products. There are many things that go in while creating a value for a product in a country. And I think it is the government or the system that is corrupted and for that we have to face this kind of price. Compared to your country, The price may be a little bit low but not everyone is making minimum wage or the average wage. We have less food but more mouths to feed. For this reason despite having lower price than your country, people here find it hard to accumulate food with what they earn. It's the inability of the government to control the inflation. Also, they can't provide enough opportunity for every people. For this reason many people are unemployed and can't earn. So you can easily imagine the situation. Poor people can't afford 3 meals a day. Having lower price doesn't mean anything in this situation.
Now a days cost of living is more than one's salary and it is hard to complete all expenses with a single salary. Every person does not have their own houses therefore the rent of house is also very high and as well as the taking meal also requires money. Instead of these two necessaries we also need to pay bills of our houses.
Expenses are higher these days and salary are not enough to accommodate these things so side job is very necessary because if a single person is earning for at least ten persons then his salary will not be enough to feed these ten people.
Rent of house is $52.2
Bill for electricity is almost $27
Feeding cost is more than $70
salary is less in amount so instead of these materials there are other expenses too. A normal man cannot fulfilled these necessaries so side job can only help us to cover our daily needs.
Expenses are higher these days and salary are not enough to accommodate these things so side job is very necessary because if a single person is earning for at least ten persons then his salary will not be enough to feed these ten people.
Rent of house is $52.2
Bill for electricity is almost $27
Feeding cost is more than $70
salary is less in amount so instead of these materials there are other expenses too. A normal man cannot fulfilled these necessaries so side job can only help us to cover our daily needs.
Here in Romania , everything went up in price! Absolutely everything and it's getting worse and worse as the minimum wage is still the same but almost every grocery have increase in value aprox 35% which is insane for a country like Romania. We don't have Euro , we don't have salaries like in western europe and yet , we have the same prices like we are using Euro as currency and we live in Western Europe which is not fair at all and that's why I kinda don't like the EU anymore. I think we Romanians , we are the only ones who can save our country for collapsing because it's clearly we are heading in that direction and our fake and corrupted officials are laughing in our faces.
People in Asia or my country always dream of Europe and they think it is paradise and the most worth living place after America, but it's amazing to see you share about what's going on there. And one thing you also need to know is that what you are going through in your country is exactly what we are going through, and many places are even worse. The only people who don't feel these bad things are the rich, and the majority of people in the middle class and below are experiencing terrible things from the price increase of everything. But complaining is useless, it won't bring prices down, there is no second solution other than finding ways to increase our income.
And having a side income or additional job is a good way to still be able to meet our living needs, without having to reduce the important things in our intake that we must continue to eat to stay healthy and smart. And this is what I have to prioritize in a situation like this, so that I, my wife and my children stay healthy by eating healthy food.
There's no point in complaining because it's not just us who feel it, but almost everyone and all countries experience it, especially the lower middle class.
Here in Romania , everything went up in price! Absolutely everything and it's getting worse and worse as the minimum wage is still the same but almost every grocery have increase in value aprox 35% which is insane for a country like Romania. We don't have Euro , we don't have salaries like in western europe and yet , we have the same prices like we are using Euro as currency and we live in Western Europe which is not fair at all and that's why I kinda don't like the EU anymore. I think we Romanians , we are the only ones who can save our country for collapsing because it's clearly we are heading in that direction and our fake and corrupted officials are laughing in our faces.
People in Asia or my country always dream of Europe and they think it is paradise and the most worth living place after America, but it's amazing to see you share about what's going on there. And one thing you also need to know is that what you are going through in your country is exactly what we are going through, and many places are even worse. The only people who don't feel these bad things are the rich, and the majority of people in the middle class and below are experiencing terrible things from the price increase of everything. But complaining is useless, it won't bring prices down, there is no second solution other than finding ways to increase our income.
Here in Romania , everything went up in price! Absolutely everything and it's getting worse and worse as the minimum wage is still the same but almost every grocery have increase in value aprox 35% which is insane for a country like Romania. We don't have Euro , we don't have salaries like in western europe and yet , we have the same prices like we are using Euro as currency and we live in Western Europe which is not fair at all and that's why I kinda don't like the EU anymore. I think we Romanians , we are the only ones who can save our country for collapsing because it's clearly we are heading in that direction and our fake and corrupted officials are laughing in our faces.
/.../
Besides depending on your income you could afford more expensive food other people may not be able to afford, so I prefer to look at things in terms of percentage, so when I think about all the costs I have to pay to live my life and the amount I get paid I only need to spend 50% of my monthly salary to sustain myself and any other related expenses, which allows me to save half of my income which I eventually invest in bitcoin.I think this financial plan of yours sounds pretty good! Saving half your income is seriously impressive. Looking at your expenses as percentages makes sense too. Investing in bitcoin is an interesting angle. How's that been working out so far? Overall your strategy seems solid. I wish I could save that much every month too.
Japan average monthly salary ~2500 USD (It may reach 7K as an average income)
Prices vary greatly depending on the region, but I will mention the prices in my region:
Rice $1
Ramen: $6.
Sushi meal: $15.
Bread: $2.
Dinner at an average restaurant: $40.
Coffee: two dollars.
Transportation: $2 to $16.
Rent: starts from $200.
Average cost of living for an individual: $1,000.
Average cost of life for a family: $2,500.
Prices vary greatly depending on the region, but I will mention the prices in my region:
Rice $1
Ramen: $6.
Sushi meal: $15.
Bread: $2.
Dinner at an average restaurant: $40.
Coffee: two dollars.
Transportation: $2 to $16.
Rent: starts from $200.
Average cost of living for an individual: $1,000.
Average cost of life for a family: $2,500.
The average food cost of different countries is posted here and in my country too. It's an average calculation and changes from state to state, even though it's roughly the same. So I don't want to post the same thing here.I never thought of the family expenses until I saw your post. I just want to say it's really eye-opening. And we can compare the individual and family expenses separately. The importance of this is that expenses are changing according to our responsibilities and the situation we are in. So it's entirely different between the average living expenses of a person living in each state and the actual living expenses of a person living in the state. Even though the salary of the person is still not changing according to our essential needs,
I want to know about the cost of living and average income in each country. Can I ask that here?
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
Note: I don't need the tables issued by the government because they are usually different from the reality on the ground
Currently the economic situation in my country is really bad and it has affected the common people a lot. There is a huge increase in food availability in my country today, where people are struggling to get their daily food. People who work as daily laborers are not able to meet all the needs of their family every day and they are suffering a lot due to lack of food. Although I am currently mentioning the prices of some vegetables and food items in my country which have increased by almost four times in 2023.For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
Note: I don't need the tables issued by the government because they are usually different from the reality on the ground
potatoes (1000gm) $0.70
egg (1 dozen ) $1.50
Oil ( 1000gm ) $2.50
Sugar ( 1000gm ) $1.45
Chicken ( 1000gm ) $2
All in all starting from small to increasing the price of all food but here the government is not taking any action. The price of all commodities starting from food is constantly increasing, but the government is not taking any initiative to prevent it.
I want to know about the cost of living and average income in each country. Can I ask that here?
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
For comparison, may I ask how much a standard meal in your country costs for one meal? what is the standard food menu? What is the average monthly and annual income in your country? Please those who answer can use calculations in USD
Some may have shared about the standard cost of living here in PH, but I just want to be specific that we all have different minimum wage per region. I live in a region where the minimum wage per day is around $6 per day or that's the total of a 9-5 job with only 1 day off per week.
That kind of earning is just enough for you to survive for you or a family consisting of 3-4 members, to eat 3 times daily.
I don't want to put a specific cost of meals, rents, bills, and everything along these line, but I could only say, you'll live a comfortable life here in PH if you're earning $1k per month being single, if you're a family man you'll need at least $1500 - $2000 combined if your wife has a job.
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