What can a euro buy?

Question

I am going to Germany for 3 mnths as an au pair and the salary there is 260 euro per month (eek, I know!)

So I will be living off about 9 euro per day. I know this is approx 14$ CAD but do things cost the same there? How much does a beer cost? how much to ride the bus to downtown? How much is a cab ride from the bar? How much is a dinner with friends? etc.

Keep in mind my daily meals, rent and all bills are paid for by the family so these are the only things I would have to worry about! Thanx

Answer 1

This question cannot be answered in general, since the prices in  Germany, same as in Canada, vary. You may pay only half of a "tourist-area" or "big city" price if living in a small town. The southern towns, in general are more expensive than towns in northern and eastern Germany.

Draft beer is sold in various dimensions. In the Rhine-Ruhr area, Düsseldorf or Cologne, people prefer small quantities of fresh drafted beer and continous service. A "kleines" glass of beer (0,2 litres/7 oz) is sold from 1,00 € in the suburbs of Dortmund to 1,60 € in a Cologne tourist area. The regular (0,4 ltr/14 oz) costs between 2,00 and 3,20 €.

In southern Germany they prefer the bigger size. A "halbe" beer (½ litre/17,6 oz) may cost from 2,50 € in a country guesthouse to 3,80 € in a restaurant. The "mass" beer (1 litre/35,2 oz) is sold at various festivals in southern Germany, the most famous being the Munich "Oktoberfest" and the Stuttgart "Cannstadter Wasn). Price for this year has been announced at 7,80 to 8,30 €.

A bottle of beer (0,5 ltr/17,6oz) to buy at a supermarket costs from 0,30 to 0,65 €. That's one of the reasons, people often celebrate at home and invite friends.

The public transport is excellent, at least in bigger towns. We have public traffic associations, which offer the use of regional trains, subways, tramways/streetcars, and coaches/buses with just one ticket. Prices differ based on city and travel length. Tickets for a single, one-way trip from the outskirts to the center of a city cost between 1,90 € (Nuremberg) and 2,80 € (Berlin). For frequent travelling, pre-sold cards for 4 or 10 trips are offered at a cheaper price.

Cab rides are calculated by a basic fee (2,00 to 3,00 €), a fee per kilomter driven (1,50 to 2,00 €), and a waiting fee (up to 0,40 € per minute). So if you are stucked in a traffice jam, a taxi ride could cost a fortune, again depending on the type of city. In Stuttgart or Berlin, you will pay about 13,00 € for a travel distance of 4,5 kilometer (2,8 miles).

A single Hamburger or Cheeseburger costs 1,00 € at McDonalds. A meal with a Big-Mac, French Fries, and a softdrink (0,4 ltr/17,6oz) is offered at 5,95 €. In a small guesthouse you may get a (Wiener) Schnitzel made of pork instead of veal with french freis and salad for 7,50 €, but may also pay the double or triple price in a big city restaurant.  

Answer 2

Without a detailed analysis your 9 euros will probably buy you the same as 9 Canadian dollars. You will find that many incidentals are much more expensive in Europe (make-up). As difficult as it is you should try to pack as much as possible. Since luggage is very expensive on planes now, I would ship a box of personal items before your trip.

- Cabs are shockingly expensive in europe. You may find that you need to go to people's houses and have parties instead of bars.

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I would talk to your parents. This is a nice opportunity to spend some time in another country. Perhaps they would see fit to pay for a weekend trip for you so that you can see some nearby cities. Intercity train transport is much more efficient than in North America. For instance if you are working in Munich you would want to take a day trip to Salzburg (about 40 euros round trip and 1.5-2.0 hours each way). Than you have to get around the city, eat and drink and possibly spend a night in a bunk bed in a hostal. You could see a Mozart quartet in castle at night. Salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but you would have to not spend a penny for 2 or 3 weeks to pay for it out of your au pair stipend.

Answer 3

You'll do fine.  Beer costs different prices in different places.  Yes, you can afford to ride the bus.  Find out if there's some kind of a monthly bus pass since that can save lots of money.  Don't take cabs.  They are fabulously expensive.  Dinner with friends - depends on where you eat and how fancy the place is.  Prices in Europe are reasonable, but you do have to shop around to get the best prices - just like at home.

I hope you speak some German because that will be a huge help to you even though English is widely spoken throughout Germany.

Answer 4

It depends on the city you'll live in.

If you ride the bus a lot, you can get you bus ticket for the whole month.

If you live in a bigger city you might be able to walk to the bar, a beer should be about 2 Euro ( maybe more, maybe less it depends on the city). Since the gas prices are very high in Germany are the cabs kind of pricey. Some cities have night-cabs for woman, they are a little cheaper.

A meal at Mc D will be around 5,5 Euro. Dinner in a restaurant depends on the city again.

Enjoy your time in Germany!