The price of life:

Japan: $12.3 million United States: $7.5 million Hong Kong: $2.2 million South Korea: $1.1 million Mexico City: $365,000
The price of a bicycle (for average worker):

1895: 6.5 weeks of work . . . 2010: 19 hours of work
The price of food (share of family budget):

USA: 9.7% . . . UK: 16.3% . . . Brazil: 22.7% . . . Bolivia: 42.5% . . . Indonesia: 50.6% . . . Albania: 69.2% . . .
The price of work (dollars per hour):

USA: $40 . . . Korea: $18 . . . Netherlands: $36 . . . Spain: $26 . . .
The price of addiction (annual spending on tobacco):

Mexico: $87 . . . Serbia: $119 . . . Turkey: $220 . . . Australia: $241 . . . Germany: $266 . . . USA: $274 . . . Portugal: $320 . . . Japan: $519 . . . Greece: $718 . . .
The price of inebriation (annual alcohol purchases as a share of individual spending):

Turkey: 0.1% ($7) . . . South Korea: 0.3% ($37) . . . Japan: 1% ($204) . . . US: 1.1% ($341) . . . Portugal: 1.1% ($174) . . . Australia: 1.3% ($286) . . . France:1.5% ($333) . . . Germany: 1.8% ($410) . . . Luxembourg: 2.4% ($820) . . . Russia: 3.5% ($280) . . .
The price of illegal immigration (average smuggler fees on Mexican border):

2008: $2600 . . . 2000: $1600 . . . 1990: $500 . . .
The price of a license plate in Abu Dhabi:

$14,000,000 for the “1” plate in a 2008 auction . . . $95 for a regular plate . . .
The price of beauty (United States and Canada):

Wage of a beautiful worker = 1.13 the wage of an ugly worker
The value of unionization:

$148 a week / Wage of a union worker = 1.21 times the wage of a non-union worker
The price of a soccer star:

In 2009 Cristiano Ronaldo earned 16 times what Pele earned in 1960, after inflation.
The price of a banker (Average bonus on Wall Street):

2009: $123,850 . . . 2005: $149,800 . . . 2000: $100,530 . . . 1995: $41,410 . . . 1990: $15,540 . . . 1985: $13,970 . . .
The price of pollution (cost of a ton of co2):

European Climate Exchange: $20 . . . EPA estimate of environmental cost today: $40-$68

Tag: Inflation

Friday, December 17th, 2010

Measuring prices around the world

You don’t trust your government to provide reliable inflation data? Is the central bank tinkering with the numbers to help the president get re-elected? The number crunchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Inflation | 1 Comment

Tuesday, December 7th, 2010

The Price of Unemployment and Inflation

Unemployment is nearly 10%, the highest in more than a quarter century. Consumer prices, meanwhile, are inching ahead at a pace of barely over 1% a year. And the rate is declining. Nevertheless, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke’s plan to buy … Continue reading →

Posted in Happiness | Tagged Happiness, Inflation, Unemployment | 2 Comments