The story of a friend.

"A long time ago, I once read a passage from Baby Annie. She bought a box of Haagen-Dazs, wrapped it in dry ice, and sat in a taxi

I held it carefully, and then kept crying, thinking sadly: Where did the person who loved me go? Where did the person who loved me go? I was left to enjoy this beautiful and expensive thing alone?

At that time, I was a poor student studying with money from my family. I rarely took a taxi, let alone buying something as expensive as Haagen-Dazs.

looked like palace maids who had been exposed to war and dust. The words of the American friend who accompanied me shopping shattered my last fantasy: "

Of course, I still bought two boxes of promotional packs of Haagen-Dazs to satisfy my secret wish. To be fair,

the taste is still good. It’s just that , when something becomes too easy, it is really not interesting.

I started my life in the United States in this sentimental mood, and gradually accepted a series of new blows. , a friend asked me to buy CK underwear. Then I found that CK is only equivalent to Baleno in China. No, to be precise, GAP is Baleno. , the quality of CK is a little higher. But only a little bit. Another example, a friend asked me to buy Clinique butter.

Clinique has always been proud of its best-selling butter. The best-selling ones are like Dabao, and the cheap ones are also like Dabao.

You see, the things we use as signs of quality of life are actually very cheap. ”

My fragile heart is. After being hit hard, I finally learned from the pain. So, I started typing this article on the keyboard. As for this article,

actually, it has nothing to do with self-reflection or petty bourgeoisie criticism. What I want to say is an economic issue, that is, why is the cost of living for Americans so low?

We might as well first take a look at how low their cost of living is. According to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics on Labor Day this year (of course it is Labor Day in the United States,

September 4), the per capita annual income of American workers (note, not all citizens) is $40,000 (no I

I had high expectations, I originally thought there would be 100,000). Except for a few big cities, such as New York and San Francisco, the hourly salary of a recent college graduate is generally 15 yuan (note that we are discussing the most general situation. Of course, MBA or PHD It won’t be 15 yuan an hour). Then, his monthly salary is 15*8*7*4=3360 yuan. Taxes in the United States are quite severe. Personal income tax and social insurance are generally reduced by 40%, so what you get is only 3360*60%=2016 yuan. Of course, if you donate money to a church

or a charitable organization, you can get a tax refund. So, taking these technical issues into account, his final income can be about 3,000 yuan. In Beijing, the monthly salary of a young person who has just started working, whether in a company or an institution, is about 3,000 yuan, maybe even less, and it is in RMB.

So, what kind of life can the same income level maintain in different countries?

First let’s look at the food. Food is very cheap in the United States.

My shopping list yesterday included mangoes, apples, bananas, lettuce, radishes, yogurt, oatmeal, tomato sauce, and rice, which cost 21 US dollars a day (meat is also very cheap, but I haven’t finished all the food I bought last time

, so I don’t have it in my shopping list this time). If it is 21 yuan, what can you buy in a supermarket in Beijing?

Maybe only two mangoes.

I have asked many friends that the monthly food expenditure for a single person or a couple, including restaurants, is only about 200 yuan

. This only accounts for about 6% of an individual's monthly income. In Beijing, a trip to Carrefour will probably cost more than 200 yuan.

Secondly, look at the clothes. This is even more infuriating. The same brand is actually more expensive in developed countries than in developing countries. It's really confusing who is rich and who is poor. Take CK as an example. You can buy a white shirt for about 40 yuan. Even if it is converted into RMB, it is much cheaper than in China. Compared with their income, it is really cheap. . Moreover, Bichang’s shopping mall loves discounts.

It’s often 40% off, which is shocking. A girl from China told me deeply that a shopping trip to buy clothes in China costs more than 1,000 yuan; in the United States, unless you buy a first-line brand like LV or ARMANI, otherwise , if it’s just CK, DKNY and the like, it’s really not easy to spend more than a thousand yuan at once

As for sneakers, cosmetics, going out to restaurants, buying air tickets, etc., I am too lazy to give examples. Of course their houses are still very expensive. Everyone

basically spends money on maintaining a car and paying for a house.

And what did we spend our income on when we only had a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan?

So, we have to think about this question now: Why is their cost of living so low?

When considering this issue, the first thing I thought of was Marx and Engels’ bloody description of the primitive accumulation of capital: the development of capitalism is based on the development of broad On top of the plunder of the country. Of course, now we have to use a warmer name called globalization.

What is globalization? From Friedman to Friedman, every discipline will give its own definition. However, these terms, which are like a heavenly book, have little meaning to us ordinary people. What we see is that the people of the United States spend less money and live a better life. And this better life is based on the hard work of our brothers and sisters in Asia, Africa and Latin America in developing countries.

Also take clothing as an example. CK, DKNY and the like are not produced in the United States. Of course, don't think that these are all "MADE IN CHINA".

In the apparel field, there are many Chinese competitors. CK is made in Hong Kong. A lot of DKNY comes from the Philippines. Underwear, such as JOCKEY, is produced in small Latin American countries such as Honduras. Of course, there are quite a lot of products made in China, and they are cheaper than those in other developing countries. For some well-known brands, in addition to MADE IN CHINA, you will also find a large number of MADE IN VANAM or MADE

IN INDIA or MADE IN TAILAND; but some of the messy lower-priced mass-market ready-made clothes are basically It's produced by us.

Who told us that there are many people? Who said our labor costs are more economical than those in these countries? This is probably also an important reason why the US government insists on the textile trade agreement and is unable to get through with us.

Of course that doesn’t mean that Americans don’t make clothes. When I couldn't restrain my residual vanity and petty bourgeoisie, I was running up and down New York's Fifth Avenue

, and I actually found clothes marked with the label "MADE IN USA" . BUBBERY. A shirt costs more than 200 U.S. dollars, which is about three to four times the price of shirts from the same brand but produced in developing countries. Of course some people buy such clothes, but they are far beyond the reach of ordinary Americans.

Even when I asked a CEO of a company who obviously belonged to the high-income class if he had any preference for this kind of clothes, he said in surprise, "Do YOU ??THINK I'M CRAZY?"

U.S. prices VS Chinese prices

The United States and China are two superpowers. I have lived in both, I have stayed in both, I have made money in both, and I have spent money in both. Let’s not talk about ratios.

Let’s just say that the monthly income in China is 8,000, and the monthly income in the United States is 8,000. Let’s compare the prices.

Buying a Mercedes-Benz E-320 in the United States costs 50,000 yuan, which is equivalent to more than half a year's salary.

Buying a Mercedes-Benz E-320 in China costs 980,000 yuan, which is equivalent to more than ten years’ salary.

Buying a pair of Italian leather shoes in the United States costs around 50 yuan.

Buying a pair of Italian leather shoes in China costs around 1,500 yuan.

Renting a three-bedroom apartment in the United States costs around 1,000 yuan.

Renting a three-bedroom apartment in China costs around 2,000 yuan.

Eat a McDonald’s Big Mac in the United States for 4 yuan.

Eat a McDonald’s Big Mac in China for 20 yuan.

To buy a better suit in the United States, 500 yuan is about the same.

To buy a better suit in China, 2,000 yuan is not enough.

Buying an Apple G5 computer in the United States costs over 1,500.

It costs 30,000 to buy an Apple G5 computer in China.

Buy a pound of lean pork in the United States for three yuan.

Buy a pound of lean pork in China for fifteen yuan.

Ordering a large birthday cake in the United States: twenty yuan.

Ordering a big birthday cake in China: two hundred yuan.

Buy a box of Haagen-Dazs in the United States for three yuan!

Buy a box of Haagen-Dazs in China, sixty!

In the United States, a Holiday Inn (four-star hotel) costs 70 to 80 yuan.

In China, Holiday Inn costs 700 to 800 yuan.

In the United States, thirty yuan is enough to fill up a tank of gasoline.

Three hundred yuan is enough to fill up a tank of gasoline in China.

Buying a 250-square-meter house in the United States costs almost 500,000.

Buying a 250-square-meter house in China costs almost 5 million.

A valid visa for one year in the United States costs 120 yuan.

A one-year valid visa in China costs 1,240 yuan.

Using a mobile phone in the United States, you can basically make casual calls for 50 yuan a month.

Using a mobile phone in China, you can basically make casual calls for 5,000 yuan a month.

Watching movies in the United States; new blockbusters: 8 yuan!

Watching movies in China; new blockbusters: 80!

Buying a cashmere sweater in the United States costs almost 100 yuan.

Buying a cashmere sweater in China costs almost 1,000 yuan.

The 33 most misunderstood consumer symbols by Chinese people

Backpackers Backpackers

Backpacking has become a fashion, and some people regard it as a way to show off. Capital. What’s even more strange is that in foreign countries, backpackers are all poor, and those who participate in tour groups are rich; in China, it is just the opposite.

Bohemia Bohemian style

People often refer to "anything that looks crazy" as Bohemian style. In China, the concept of Bohemia has been infinitely expanded. Even real estate developers are selling "Bohemian architectural style", which is embarrassing.

Bordeaux French Wine (Bordeaux)

Abroad, only a few people can enjoy the excitement of wine, while most people can only drink beer. In China, there are countless writers and poets praising the elegance and elegance of grape sprinkling.

Broadway Broadway

As a result, the plot is extremely simple, the scenes are extremely gorgeous, the performances are very exaggerated, and lip-synching is ubiquitous. After success in New York or London,

it begins Traveling around the world and making a lot of money, this is very similar to "The Same Song".

Che Guevara

Che Guevara, who made a living selling souvenirs, and the idealistic fighter Che Guevara are not necessarily the same person. The former It is a popular flag, and the latter is a spiritual guide.

Chivas Chivas Regal

In foreign countries, whiskey is considered an old man’s drink. It is hard to imagine that there will be college students who choose whiskey for their graduation parties.

Christmas, Valentine's day

What exactly is Christmas? Is it holiness? Faith? Joy? Family? Love? There is no doubt that the first thing is consumption.

Cigar cigars: for enjoyment, not for show

These luxury goods in the eyes of the Chinese are just important foreign exchange-earning products for another socialist country.

Chinese people pay the highest interest rates on credit card loans in the world (annual interest rates are as high as 18%), but they have no idea that the danger is coming

Chinese people are even more keen on it. Consumer Diploma EMBA

Compared with Westerners, Chinese people are more keen on consuming diplomas. Behind this lies China’s love for education for thousands of years

To learn and excel is to

Evian water (a mineral water produced in France, priced at 50 yuan per bottle in China and 6-7 Singapore dollars per bottle)

It should be regarded as When asked "What should I drink?", many people are accustomed to simply say: "I just want Evian water." "There is a sense of superiority that cannot be concealed

in the voice.

Golf Golf

Golf is neither an aristocratic sport nor a civilian sport. It is a kind of health. Sports is a kind of etiquette, a kind of quality and a kind of aesthetics

Beauty and living standards

Haagen-Dazs

China is regarded as. The luxury Haagen-Dazs is a very common brand in the United States, where it originated, just like Heluxue in China. It is mainly sold in supermarkets and vending machines, with few specialized stores. /p>

IKEA

With its DIY design style and expensive price, it has become an ideal high-end home furnishing brand for the petty bourgeoisie. Americans' comments are "cheap