The cost of living

So when we started seriously thinking about moving here (can it really be three years ago now?) one attraction was that we should be able to enjoy a better standard of living. I mean, every time we came for a visit, we would pack an empty suitcase in our bags, because we knew that during our visit, we would pounce upon stuff that was so cheap we couldn’t not buy it. Oh, the money we saved – and by extension, the money we would save…..

Well it turns out that it was all a house of cards, as I’ve mentioned before, because, as a visitor, one never knew the cost of health insurance that burdens the American pocketbook. That alone is enough to bring the cost of living here in line with our UK expenses.

Of course, it made other things seem cheap in comparison. All those other things with which we used to fill our empty suitcase. (I can’t even think of one now….). And, of course, we all know the legendary low cost of petrol – Currently something in the region of $2.60 a gallon (43p a litre – actually more, as the American gallon is smaller, but I’m not clever enough – not bothered enough – to do the precise calculation).

I’ve always had a ready reckoner when thinking about US prices in comparison with UK ones and that was that the figure was the same, just the currency sign differed: if something was £2.00, it would be $2.00. The savings, immediate.

But one has discovered a surprising number of other things that are more expensive here than they would be in the UK. Books, for some reason, are more expensive. I think there are no books here under $19.99. Any paperback: £13 - £14. And you pay sales tax on top of that. Here in Colorado, that’s in the region of 8% (you never know quite how much extra it will be, as it varies, not only from town to town, but I discovered recently, from area of town to area of town. A particular shopping centre may well charge an extra % in order to help pay for itself.)

Paint is more expensive. I’ve finally got off my backside to tackle some interior decorating and find that a cheap gallon of paint is $20 – again, £13 - £14. If you want environmentally friendly paint be prepared to pay three times that amount.

Phone, TV and internet connections seem astronomical to me. We don’t pay anything for TV viewing, as we rely on the (frankly pretty horrible) broadcast (as opposed to satellite or cable) services. But if advertisements are anything to go by everyone else in America is paying $29.95 a month for their cheap introductory offer for TV for the first year, then it goes up – to I don’t know what – and you have to tie yourself in for two years or pay a $350 termination fee.

Mobile phone networks tempt you with their astounding services at only $69.95 a month. Internet service providers want the same. If you bundle all these services together you can get a deal for maybe $100 a month (£60), but again, you’ll be locked into the contract for a couple of years where it will increase horribly in the second year, or pay a huge termination fee.

Our electricity, and gas bills seem comparable to what we used to pay. Our ‘property tax’ (council tax)” at $1200/yr seems comparable. I think most food is less expensive, and in any given week, some variety of organic apple or pear is on sale for $1/lb (60p/lb). I can buy a pound of organic salad leaves for $2.50. Bread and cheese cost more, with a decent loaf of bread in the $3.50/$4.00 region. Good cheese starts at $17/lb. But we can find grass fed or free-range meat for $4/lb.

And let's not even mention the exchange rate.....

Apparently April is the month when Colorado can expect more snow than any other. We have had two spring snow storms in March so far, with 9 inches falling last week. Wet and heavy, it was gone within a couple of days. This is a picture of a flock of robins in our neighbour's tree. You will see American robins are bigger, and nowhere as cute as English ones, but they aren't quite such bullies either, and are happy to roost together.