Is the Cost of Living Cheaper in the UK than in Taiwan?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
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21

I don’t know. During my time in the UK, I only really shopped at the greengrocers, the local butchers and the farm shop down the road. The prices were reasonable and the quality better than what I can usually find in Taiwan.
But the population of the UK has become lazy and because of this - or even the root cause of this, is that supermarkets have all but eradicated local stores and the culture that used to go with them, leaving farm shops the domain of better-off people with Range Rovers who can afford to buy local produce. The local bakers is now a mobile phone shop. The greengrocers is now a cheap travel agents for Chavs who like to go to Ibiza, and the family butcher, thankfully, has been caught and is facing life in prison.

But affordable, healthy produce in the UK, and the availability thereof is not only affected by the proliferation of supermarkets: a lot of the problems stem from the ridiculous price fixing and myriad rules regarding the import, export and distribution of food and land under the management of the EU. If I listed even 2% of even the more outlandish directives on this forum, we’d be re- locating to a new server.

Although obviously a fake letter, this is an example of the mentality of the British government and the EU, in their wisdom. Funny:

http://thistimethisspace.com/2007/06/18/the-%E2%80%9Cnot-rearing-pigs%E2%80%9D-business/

22

Very true. It was once possible to get perfectly good food from the grocer etc., back in the days when the “family butcher” joke was new :wink:. But yeah - the EU and the supermarkets were made for each other. The perverse behaviour of the one reinforces the other. There’s a book called “The Rebel Farmer”, which is written by an Austrian guy operating an organic farm. The book is basically a diary of his run-ins with bizarre EU regulations, which basically make it illegal to grow healthy, varied food and operate your farm in the most efficient possible manner.

23

From what I’ve noticed supermarket prices are similar wherever I’ve gone in the world since supermarkets are giant importers. So they’re getting everything from the same sources and bigger countries can be cheaper since they are buying in bigger volumes. But locally produced food will be cheaper. For example I was in Hong Kong this summer and a recon supermarket trip showed similar prices to Taiwan (if I was able to convert currencies correctly). And Hong Kong is significantly more expensive for many things.

24

Let’s put it this way the prices are similar but quality of product varies in a given place. So fruit and veg are cheaper here but milk is more expensive and quality lower obviously. Seemingly modern western society on average only need to spend 1/10 their income on food but decades ago that was 1/3 or 1/2 their income. you simply have to spend more to get quality as Petrichor said, otherwise grow your own.

25

I’d struggle to buy food and I would think it incredibly expensive if I earned what the average Taiwanese person earned. In Taipei, if you earn less than $50,000 per month, you are officially considered a low earner. Also, it is worth remembering that a vast proportion of the salary is tied up in putting money away for retirement or keeping your parents clothed, housed and fed. When you put all this together, supermarket food suddenly looks far more expensive than we perceive it to be as expats.

26

N o

27

Actually, I have to admit I buy my meat at Carrefour. I’m pretty damn sure I’m being taken for a ride by the local meat market people, because whenever I try to buy a chicken thigh they ask for 50NT. My Taiwanese language exchange laughed her head off at this and told me I can buy a cooked one for 50NT, but I haven’t had any locals go with me to the market yet so I’m not sure if I’m getting ripped off or not. The suspicion is there…

28

I don’t buy my meat in the market. Their food handling isn’t exactly by the book and it’s not worth the hassle to me since I can buy ten other things that I need at Carrefour. Chicken and Pork at Carrefour. Beef at Costco (the sirloin, not the top blade).

29

The meat in general at Carrefour is not great, it’s true. Hint, you can haggle prices at the traditional market.

30

Maybe not. but I don’t need to make a separate trip and then haggle over something that I’m satisfied with at Carrefour.

31

I’ve given up buying chicken at Carrefour. It’s always on the turn.

32

The only meat I occasionally buy at Carrefour is given to my dogs for a BARF diet, and even then they would rather chew on a rat.
Market meat is not great either, unless you get up a stupid o’clock and buy the best cuts fresh off the truck. By the end of mid morning, market meat is sun dried, going off, smoked by car and scooter fumes, a host for fly lavae and covered in granny haggle spittle.
Now, although I don’t like market meat, meat markets are a different story altogether.

33

[quote=“Super Hans”]The only meat I occasionally buy at Carrefour is given to my dogs for a BARF diet, and even then they would rather chew on a rat.
Market meat is not great either, unless you get up a stupid o’clock and buy the best cuts fresh off the truck. By the end of mid morning, market meat is sun dried, going off, smoked by car and scooter fumes, a host for fly lavae and covered in granny haggle spittle.
Now, although I don’t like market meat, meat markets are a different story altogether.[/quote]

The quality must be better down south, because the meat I get is actually pretty decent. Fairly fresh and lasts a while in the fridge (I never hold onto anything for longer than a week anyway, it all gets used!).

The markets around here are pretty clean too. I can haggle, but it’s hard for me to haggle when I’m not sure what the price is supposed to be. The cheapest I’ve gotten meat at the markets for was 40NT a chicken thigh, and that’s again the price of a cooked one @.@;

34

Yeah - I agree. The quality of stuff down in the south is actually pretty good.
The things I miss though are treated meats, such as smoked, salted and cured. I find it extremely difficult to get anything other than the dried stuff which to me probably tastes like old rubber. I suppose its just different here - the climate over centuries dictates that everything gets eaten sharpish.

35

Aren’t the majority of expats here Engrish teachers? Lots of them have debts and count their pennies. I bet they’re no better financially than the average Taiwanese person.

I find food at supermarkets expensive here. And Jason’s supermarket… ridiculously expensive. I’m only here on short term periods, so obviously I don’t cook, but even if I would be here longer, I’m not sure if I would bother.

36

[quote=“Super Hans”]…By the end of mid morning, market meat is sun dried, going off, smoked by car and scooter fumes, a host for fly lavae and covered in granny haggle spittle.
[/quote]

You should see how it begins: with the trucks dropping off the carcasses late at night and the street cats running out to grab as much as they can before its brought inside. :laughing:

37

[quote=“jp_mtl”]Aren’t the majority of expats here Engrish teachers? Lots of them have debts and count their pennies. I bet they’re no better financially than the average Taiwanese person.

I find food at supermarkets expensive here. And Jason’s supermarket… ridiculously expensive. I’m only here on short term periods, so obviously I don’t cook, but even if I would be here longer, I’m not sure if I would bother.[/quote]

Isn’t Jacob’s a well-to-do supermarket? I can imagine it would be expensive!

I spent around 700NT the other day on food from the market (vegies/fruit) and carrefour (meat and a sauce or two, and eggs). For that two people can eat three meals a day for a week, maybe spending an extra 100 or so through the week to replace that which has run out, which works out cheaper than if you buy it (let’s say we eat cheapish every day, and three meals average out to: 30NT 60NT 80NT = 170/person/day. That’s 340 x 7 = 2380 in a week. In Tainan. I hate to think how much it is for you up north!).

We were down to our last 150NT the other week, and in a fit of rationality I ran out and bought some meat and vegies with 130 of it (we still had noodles and rice at home). For that the of us managed to eat for the two and half days until I got paid tutoring wages, and all was good. If we’d thought ‘It’s cheaper to buy outside’ we’d either be having one meal a day and being hungry the rest of it (and that would have to be fried rice or turkey rice, around 40-60nt) or living off shallot pancakes (30 each).

I have no idea who started the ‘It’s cheaper to eat out!’ myth, but if you have a kitchen and there’s two of you it’s definitely not. If there’s only one of you you’d just about break even once you add in the gas and electricity, though it’d still be more exxy eating out.

As an aside, I miss cured foods too :frowning: And real bread! I want a breadmaker very badly right now.

[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“Super Hans”]…By the end of mid morning, market meat is sun dried, going off, smoked by car and scooter fumes, a host for fly lavae and covered in granny haggle spittle.
[/quote]

You should see how it begins: with the trucks dropping off the carcasses late at night and the street cats running out to grab as much as they can before its brought inside. :laughing:[/quote]

Are you serious?!

38

Yes. I am out late at night often for walks or just to stroll down to 7-Eleven and I see the meat trucks drop off the carcasses on the wood tables at the edge of my local market. A few seconds later a couple frenzied eyed cats will appear and start tearing big chunks of meat off the carcasses until the butchers actually come out and bring the meat inside.

I have no reason to believe this is not being repeated daily at markets around the island. :laughing:

39

Well those cats sure are getting their raw diets taken care of. Better the cats then the rats i guess.

40

Yes. I am out late at night often for walks or just to stroll down to 7-Eleven and I see the meat trucks drop off the carcasses on the wood tables at the edge of my local market. A few seconds later a couple frenzied eyed cats will appear and start tearing big chunks of meat off the carcasses until the butchers actually come out and bring the meat inside.

I have no reason to believe this is not being repeated daily at markets around the island. :laughing:[/quote]

Wow. I suppose I’d better start rinsing meat before I use it then.

Then again, if I’m not dead yet…