Fili’s world
A different look at Asia, China and Taiwan
Latest
Allegedly, someone that by the name of Andrew Harris was visiting Taipei during 1969 and having a good enough time with the local s-ex scene to write[...]
READ FULL ARTICLE »
Taiwan
Taipei After Dark - Andrew Harris 1969 Sexpose Travelogue The Taiwanese "The World Is So Big" TV show visits Israel Expat English language Blogs in Taiwan continued Touring Taichung : Big Laughing Buddha, Art Street and Jing MingChina
The Chinese Israel bashing in response to China bashing on Israeli media Rare stamp : China’s “The entire nation is red” but Taiwan is white Israel at the Beijing Olympics : What do the Chinese think of Jews? Our medallists : Taiwan’s Chen Wei-ling and Israel’s Shahar Zubari
Surely, it isn’t the only aspect, and reverse culture shock keeps coming at me everytime I come back to Israel. Most things I can deal with, I just take a deep breath and find refuge in happy happy thoughts (:P), but it still surprises me everytime that I need to readjust to things I was adjusted to before.
I don’t know when and how it happened, but prices in Israel are absolutely insane, especially when compared to Taiwan. I’m trying to save my own face by telling myself I don’t care, but in the first couple of weeks of my return this is constantly on my mind in every step I take.
XE.COM says that 1 Israeli shekel is 9 Taiwan dollars.
I’m sitting in a Coffee Bean in Jerusalem’s down-town, if you can call it that, where the Ice Coffee I’m now drinking cost me 25 Shekels (225NT$). I came here after having a sandwich which was 22 Shekels (200NT$). Earlier today, I went to see a Chiropractor to take care of my broken body. It was an interesting session, with lots of twisting, pushing and electricity going through my body, all for the bargain price of 350 Shekels (3150NT$). Prices in Tel-Aviv are even higher. We all drive cars in Israel, very few use scooters, and I’m the same. Filling up my car, which I admit I missed but felt guilty driving with my increasing environmental awareness, I was utterly shocked to find out that 45 liters of petrol now cost over 300 Shekels (2700NT$). To watch a movie at the cinema - say goodbye to 40 Shekels (360NT$), and that’s before the popcorn for 20 shekels (180NT$) and drinks for 15 Shekels (150NT$).
Using the famous burger economy comparison I’ll fill you in that a burger meal at McDonalds in Israel costs around 40 Shekels (360NT$). Any business lunch in a decent place will start at 50-60 Shekels (450NT$). I tend to think that Diet Coke world comparisons are more accurate, and so a can of Diet Coke(330ml) would cost you 4.5-5 Shekels (40NT$).
The price for that exact same meal in Taiwan’s McDonalds would be 125-130NT$, and the price for that same Diet Coke can would be 18-20NT$. Ice Coffee at the most expensive Starbucks will bet around 120NT$, a really high quality Sandwich at Jamy’s around 150NT$. Movie will be around 190-250NT$. Between 30%-90% lower than Israeli prices. Insane.Yet we also have to consider the fact that Israeli salaries are much higher than those of Taiwan’s.
Just before leaving I remember having a discussion with a good Taiwanese friend who asked me - “You’re a business student, so explain this to me. You keep saying the Israeli and Taiwanese economies are about the same and that the Taiwanese economy is surprisingly strong, especially when considering Taiwan’s size. Then why, I really don’t understand, are the salaries here so much lower than that of Israel’s and Europe’s and how come the prices here are so low? How come tourists coming here can live like kings while I need to struggle every time I leave the country?”. The friend is absolutely right - I honestly don’t know how this situation came to be. Any economy finance experts out there?
It’s not only that Taiwan is relatively cheaper, it’s also that Israel has become relatively expensive. Since I’ve been in and out for almost 3 years now I maybe feel that more than others. It will definitely take some time getting used to.
6 Responses so far | Have Your Say!
Leave a Feedback
Projects
Suggested Reading
- Tainan - out to KTV
- Looking for an apartment in Tainan
- More from the Taiwanese temple celebration madness in Tainan
- The Israeli “Noodle” Movie : A journey to take a Chinese kid to Beijing
- Enhancing Cultural Sensitivity - Cross Culture Introduced
- Weblog Awards Bloggies 2008 - Asia : Time for some real blogs - Michael Turton and ESWN
- Asia-Israel news and events - March 07
- The foreign perspective on Taiwan’s Betelnut girls
Guy | June 25th, 2008 at 5:43 am #
Taxes is the answer, I believe. Government spending in Israel, as a proportion of GDP, is about 47% (http://www.bankisrael.gov.il/press/eng/070628/070628o.htm) and in Taiwan it is about 21% (http://www.moneymorning.com/2008/01/18/four-ways-to-profit-from-the-other-china/). Those aren’t the best sources available, but the difference is still significant. Along with a freer labour and capital market, maybe, this would explain how these two otherwise economically similar countries can end up with such different prices. But are the Big Macs kosher in Tainan?
Sandy H.
| June 25th, 2008 at 9:01 am #
I know we will face the same reverse shock, if not even at a greater extent, when we visit the States this summer. I am not looking forward that part much. I guess I need to start saving all the NT I can now so I can survive my time there :). Thanks for the info.
naruwan
| June 25th, 2008 at 5:39 pm #
Petrol just passed 1 pound a litre in the UK - that’s 60 Taiwan dollars. It seems that everything in England is more expensive than in Taiwan. Wages may be low in Taiwan, and actually falling in real terms when adjusted for inflation, but at least cost of living here seems reasonable when compared with countries like England, which incidentally is referred to in the tabloids there as “Ripoff Britain”.
fiLi
| June 25th, 2008 at 7:04 pm #
Guy - interesting suggestion, thanks.
I’m still a bit confused. It’s been said that Israel has one of the world’s highest tax rates, due to military and stupidity government spending, yet cost of living is lower compared to other economies of scale with lower tax rates. Perhaps it’s a mixture of a few things, taxes being one of affecting parameters.
But for Taiwan to be this low is really remarkable. Recently having visited the big cities of Thailand and India I would even go as far as saying that for some things Taiwan is cheaper than those two, although economy is far more developed. Odd.
(
BTW - Some Big Macs in Jerusalem aren’t Kosher either, but that’s usually for the very strange fact of them insisting to open on Saturday and serve bread on Passover 
)
fiLi
| June 25th, 2008 at 7:07 pm #
Sandy - I don’t know. A year ago 1US$ was almost 4.4 Shekels, not it’s more like 1US$ = 3.3 Shekels. Suddenly, America is a cheap to visit for Europeans and Israelis, and an expensive place for American investors. How the world changes in a year…
Since we’re talking about this - hey, how come this didn’t happen with the Taiwanese currency as well? it maybe moved from 1US$=32NT$ to 1US$=30NT$. Hmmm…
fiLi
| June 25th, 2008 at 7:12 pm #
Naruwan -
know what you mean.
You know, Israel has a special issue with petrol since Israel naturally can’t buy oil from countries Israel perceives as the enemy (Iran, etc.). Israel gets its oil somewhere else, much further away, which is insane, and will grow worse as those oil reserves dry out.
I know from personal experience what London prices mean. It’s dead difficult for a student to survive there. It’s a constant challenge of figuring out how to make it living there without going bankrupt…