Ten bucks for some can equal chocolates, a short bus ride, or a take out meal. These are among possible purchases The Epoch Times reporters from Rio de Janeiro to Ireland discovered when they asked locals around the world: “How far can you get on $10?”
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Leslee Singer, 22, Smart Tanning Specialist
I would say you can get some very good ice cream for 10 bucks at the Beacon Drive Inn. You can get more than just ice cream; you can get ice cream and a meal, and then take it for a walk at the breakwater. Pretty priceless, being along the beach with the world’s best self-served. So, that is what you can get for 10 bucks in Victoria, British Columbia.
Leslee Singer, 22, Smart Tanning Specialist
I would say you can get some very good ice cream for 10 bucks at the Beacon Drive Inn. You can get more than just ice cream; you can get ice cream and a meal, and then take it for a walk at the breakwater. Pretty priceless, being along the beach with the world’s best self-served. So, that is what you can get for 10 bucks in Victoria, British Columbia.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Maurício Silva, 55, Engineer
With $10, I could buy a meal at McDonald’s, or I could pay for the transport to go to the beach and then have a meal. I could also go to another city, for example Niterói. I can leave here and go to Niterói, and the money left would be enough for a meal. I could do some combined things. ... I could go to the movies, or to the bar and have some beers.
Maurício Silva, 55, Engineer
With $10, I could buy a meal at McDonald’s, or I could pay for the transport to go to the beach and then have a meal. I could also go to another city, for example Niterói. I can leave here and go to Niterói, and the money left would be enough for a meal. I could do some combined things. ... I could go to the movies, or to the bar and have some beers.
Canary Islands, Spain
Emilio Menendez, 72, University Head of English Language Department
I’m 72 years old and because of that my teens were in the ‘40s and ’50s and those were years in Spain with a lot of misery and regardless … we were able to make ends meet. After that Spain and my life changed for the better and I’ve been able to live in such a comfortable way. I’ve not forgotten those days of my younger years, so if you ask me tomorrow to live with only 10 euro [US$12] I know I could stretch them a lot and be able to survive maybe for two, or three days, even four.
Emilio Menendez, 72, University Head of English Language Department
I’m 72 years old and because of that my teens were in the ‘40s and ’50s and those were years in Spain with a lot of misery and regardless … we were able to make ends meet. After that Spain and my life changed for the better and I’ve been able to live in such a comfortable way. I’ve not forgotten those days of my younger years, so if you ask me tomorrow to live with only 10 euro [US$12] I know I could stretch them a lot and be able to survive maybe for two, or three days, even four.
Ireland
Pedram Rad, 22, Student (from Iran)
There used to be a point where $10 used to get you far [in Iran]. You could spend $10 and live comfortably for a couple of weeks. Now, for example, as a student for me, $10 maybe gets me through one day, not any more. With the economic crisis, and the inflation, and everything in different countries I honestly say, I can’t live on $10 a day.
Pedram Rad, 22, Student (from Iran)
There used to be a point where $10 used to get you far [in Iran]. You could spend $10 and live comfortably for a couple of weeks. Now, for example, as a student for me, $10 maybe gets me through one day, not any more. With the economic crisis, and the inflation, and everything in different countries I honestly say, I can’t live on $10 a day.
Gold Coast, Australia
Mick Harris, 58, Trainer and Assessor
You can’t get very far at all. Three bus stops or something like that would be about the max and get you an open door in a taxi, but that’s about as far. I suppose you could feed yourself with 10 bucks if you were careful enough about it, and did your own cooking. I’ve seen the ads on television for 10 bucks in a supermarket, but I wouldn’t like to try and feed a family with it.
Mick Harris, 58, Trainer and Assessor
You can’t get very far at all. Three bus stops or something like that would be about the max and get you an open door in a taxi, but that’s about as far. I suppose you could feed yourself with 10 bucks if you were careful enough about it, and did your own cooking. I’ve seen the ads on television for 10 bucks in a supermarket, but I wouldn’t like to try and feed a family with it.
Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Rebecca Thomas, 20, Volunteer and Student
I would say that if you are wise and know where to go, it could actually take you quite far, especially in a place like Sheffield. … You can get vegetables for not much money. There’s a lot of free things to do like the wildlife, the parks and the music. If you are happy to live an unconventional life then you will do just fine!
Rebecca Thomas, 20, Volunteer and Student
I would say that if you are wise and know where to go, it could actually take you quite far, especially in a place like Sheffield. … You can get vegetables for not much money. There’s a lot of free things to do like the wildlife, the parks and the music. If you are happy to live an unconventional life then you will do just fine!
Chia, Colombia (tourist in Rio de Janeiro)
David Aguilar, 19, Economics Student
With $10 in my city, I can go to the movies, drink a soda, pay the bus transportation and still eat a good slice of pizza ... a very big one!
David Aguilar, 19, Economics Student
With $10 in my city, I can go to the movies, drink a soda, pay the bus transportation and still eat a good slice of pizza ... a very big one!
Dubai
Parvathi Pillai, 19, Student
With $10, I would buy chocolates, or key chains, or something that teenagers like in this age, and these are very useful for me.
Parvathi Pillai, 19, Student
With $10, I would buy chocolates, or key chains, or something that teenagers like in this age, and these are very useful for me.
Järna, Sweden
Kerstin Hemlin, 61, Former Homemaker
If you take a liter of cream, in 1983 the cost was approximately $4 (SEK 30); today the cost is just as much, (Given the normal increase in prices over time) how is that possible? What has happened to farming? A cow today is milking so much more than before. And the price for clothes declines as well. How cheap can the commodities become? Who is paying? What is the price concerning the animals, the environment and the workers in the low wage countries?
Kerstin Hemlin, 61, Former Homemaker
If you take a liter of cream, in 1983 the cost was approximately $4 (SEK 30); today the cost is just as much, (Given the normal increase in prices over time) how is that possible? What has happened to farming? A cow today is milking so much more than before. And the price for clothes declines as well. How cheap can the commodities become? Who is paying? What is the price concerning the animals, the environment and the workers in the low wage countries?
Look for the Global Q&A column every week. The Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: “Do you have good relations with your in-laws?”
