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Same experience as a Canadian visiting NY and SF in recent years. Yes I know I went to the most expensive cities in the country but still it was hard to eat a b

Same experience as a Canadian visiting NY and SF in recent years. Yes I know I went to the most expensive cities in the country but still it was hard to eat a basic meal that wasn't US$30, and in tourist contexts (like the hotel restaurant) it was even more still. Even shopping for a few basic groceries felt like I was paying dollar amounts more than I would expect to see at home but in a currency that's worth 1.3x+.

maxerickson 6mo ago
Services are expensive because they compete for labor with other things. I think US grocery prices are higher because there's not really a goal of keeping them lower. Subsidies could be structured to ensure that they help the consumer, but they aren't. And so on.
- WarmWash 6mo ago
  Grocery stores don't make any money though. That's why its practically a huge monopoly, and even still they hardly make money. Food in general is an awful business to be in. Food is expensive and no one is getting rich from it. It's a strong sign you are in an advanced economy, and will be having it hard if you aren't part of that "advanced".
  - maxerickson 6mo ago
    Sure, but we subsidize farmers and then they sell their products to middlemen and we are like "yeah whatever you want". Attach the subsidy to the eventual retail price and they would at least be a little lower.
BobaFloutist 6mo ago
Where in Canada are you from? When I visited Vancouver from the Bay Area things only felt cheaper accounting for the exchange rate.
- mikepurvis 6mo ago
  Waterloo Region. So, not Vancouver/Toronto level, but definitely on the list: https://creditcardgenius.ca/blog/most-expensive-cities-canada https://creditcardgenius.ca/blog/most-expensive-cities-canad...
jaarse 6mo ago
Everything is priced the same. And it’s Detroit, Minneapolis, Austin, LA, and 100 people towns everywhere. The US prices are the same as the Canadian prices, despite their dollar being worth 30% more. Wild

maxerickson 6mo ago

Services are expensive because they compete for labor with other things. I think US grocery prices are higher because there's not really a goal of keeping them lower. Subsidies could be structured to ensure that they help the consumer, but they aren't. And so on.

WarmWash 6mo ago
Grocery stores don't make any money though. That's why its practically a huge monopoly, and even still they hardly make money. Food in general is an awful business to be in. Food is expensive and no one is getting rich from it. It's a strong sign you are in an advanced economy, and will be having it hard if you aren't part of that "advanced".
- maxerickson 6mo ago
  Sure, but we subsidize farmers and then they sell their products to middlemen and we are like "yeah whatever you want". Attach the subsidy to the eventual retail price and they would at least be a little lower.

BobaFloutist 6mo ago

Where in Canada are you from? When I visited Vancouver from the Bay Area things only felt cheaper accounting for the exchange rate.

mikepurvis 6mo ago
Waterloo Region. So, not Vancouver/Toronto level, but definitely on the list: https://creditcardgenius.ca/blog/most-expensive-cities-canada https://creditcardgenius.ca/blog/most-expensive-cities-canad...

jaarse 6mo ago

Everything is priced the same. And it’s Detroit, Minneapolis, Austin, LA, and 100 people towns everywhere. The US prices are the same as the Canadian prices, despite their dollar being worth 30% more. Wild