Prague: too expensive, or too cheap? August 20, 2008
Posted by larchiviste in Prague, Press.trackback
Prague: too expensive, or too cheap? (CBW, 18-08-2008): Prague has been a tourism goldmine for years. The growing Czech crown has shown, more than anything else, that nothing lasts forever. Restaurant, shop, hotel and travel agency owners consider the current tourist season as the deepest crisis since the 2002 floods. CBW found that the growing currency is by far not the only factor to blame.
larchiviste
juliusmiko
RJS
harlockcz
wordsmith101
The problem is: Prices of Everything in CR are getting Higher than the Western World Average!
Do you remember the times, when tourists came to Prague, spending only half of their budget, laughing; “Everything is soo cheap in Prague!” well, that times are gone. Now, it would be “You pay how much for that?! Well, that IS expensive.” Pricing of everything with combination of weakening dollar and Czech crown strengthening makes shopping more expensive for foreigners, at the same time, very low average salaries and pricing makes shopping expensive for Czechs as well.
When I found out, Skoda cars that are made in the Czech Republic are more expensive inland than abroad, it was clear there is something rotten. But it is not the only case – even the famous Czech beer is cheaper in Germany than in the Czech Republic, the biggest difference is in the area of foods. Things as butter are more expensive here than the rest of Europe by far. The famous Big Mac index demonstrates that meanwhile the burger is slightly more expensive here, an average USA worker at Mac Donald’s gets three time more money in salaries.
Not exactly lovin’ it: Comparison shopping at McDonald’s, and other shopping tips (Dave Faries, The Prague Post, August 20th, 2008 )