Anonymous wrote:According to all the data, inflation is higher in Europe than the US--has been slower to go down than the global inflation connected to the pandemic.
What you are pointing to is the effect of different cost of living (which varies widely across European countries/cities) and the effect of a strong US dollar, not anything to do with inflation (which as an outsider you wouldn't have a sense of because it's how much prices have gone up compared to prior times in the local currency).
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We visited Italy, France and Monaco this summer and I was surprised that the prices overall were significantly less than the US.
Hotel rooms are definitely cheaper, the cost of food is significantly cheaper : a good croissant in Paris is 1.20 euros vs $5-$6 here at a comparable bakery. A scoop of icecream in Venice and Monaco is 3 euros vs $6-$7 here.
Restaurant food is almost half the price in Europe when you account for taxes and tips in the US ( not to mention you get better tasting food there).
I get the Covid stimulus packages passed in the US contribute to inflation but many European countries also passed those.
Why has inflation hit the US much harder?
Inflation hit Europe harder! The dollar is really strong now so the exchange rates make it cheaper for Americans.
+1 international travel is cheap right now because of the strong dollar. Japan especially is a bargain, although it went from crazy expensive to just expensive!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We visited Italy, France and Monaco this summer and I was surprised that the prices overall were significantly less than the US.
Hotel rooms are definitely cheaper, the cost of food is significantly cheaper : a good croissant in Paris is 1.20 euros vs $5-$6 here at a comparable bakery. A scoop of icecream in Venice and Monaco is 3 euros vs $6-$7 here.
Restaurant food is almost half the price in Europe when you account for taxes and tips in the US ( not to mention you get better tasting food there).
I get the Covid stimulus packages passed in the US contribute to inflation but many European countries also passed those.
Why has inflation hit the US much harder?
Inflation hit Europe harder! The dollar is really strong now so the exchange rates make it cheaper for Americans.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We visited Italy, France and Monaco this summer and I was surprised that the prices overall were significantly less than the US.
Hotel rooms are definitely cheaper, the cost of food is significantly cheaper : a good croissant in Paris is 1.20 euros vs $5-$6 here at a comparable bakery. A scoop of icecream in Venice and Monaco is 3 euros vs $6-$7 here.
Restaurant food is almost half the price in Europe when you account for taxes and tips in the US ( not to mention you get better tasting food there).
I get the Covid stimulus packages passed in the US contribute to inflation but many European countries also passed those.
Why has inflation hit the US much harder?
Inflation hit Europe harder! The dollar is really strong now so the exchange rates make it cheaper for Americans.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Things have ALWAYS felt cheaper in Southern Europe in particular for americans. Have you seen how low the average wage is there? how little people earn?? I have house in Italy we spend 2 months each summer in and the average Italian, even with a white collar job does not make nearly what a college grad 3 years out might make. I can assure you Europeans are suffering horribly with inflation as well. Also job mobility is abysmal.
There are better safety nets in Europe - they NEED less money -although I admit that that impact in Southern Europe is less than N or W
Anonymous wrote:Things have ALWAYS felt cheaper in Southern Europe in particular for americans. Have you seen how low the average wage is there? how little people earn?? I have house in Italy we spend 2 months each summer in and the average Italian, even with a white collar job does not make nearly what a college grad 3 years out might make. I can assure you Europeans are suffering horribly with inflation as well. Also job mobility is abysmal.
Anonymous wrote:Important to point out that a massive driver of EU inflation was the Ukraine war and huge energy costs. In contrast, the US actually benefited from the war.