Price comparison: Having a manicure in Asia
In case you are a business traveler or an expatriate who will be needing a manicure at a local day spa in Asia, the Asian Wall Street Journal’s weekly Arbitrage column has recently conducted a survey of manicure prices at day spas in various cities around the region. Of course, it is important to remember that such price surveys serve only as a guide as a manicure at a high-end spa located in a luxury hotel or serviced apartment may cost considerably more while a manicure at a day spa frequented by local residents and even local expatriates may cost significantly less.
Price Comparison*
| Tokyo | 5,272 Yen | US$54.53 |
| Singapore | S$46 | US$31.85 |
| Shanghai | 142 Yuan | US$20.78 |
| Hong Kong | HK$160 | US$20.65 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 59 Ringgit | US$16.79 |
| Bangkok | 500 Baht | US$14.65 |
| Seoul | 17,375 Won | US$13.83 |
| Jakarta | 90,000 Rupiah | US$8.84 |
| Manila | 183 Pesos | US$3.80 |
*Prices are based upon a survey of local day spas while US$ prices are based upon exchange rates as of June 17, 2009
Labels: Price Survey, Useful Travel Tips
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1 Comments:
The average worker has to toil three times as long in Beijing and six times as long in Manila to afford a Big Mac than in Hong Kong and New York while a one night hotel stay in Beijing is about half the cost of the same night in Mumbai, Taipei or Seoul, according to The Asia Comparator appearing in the latest edition of China Briefing.
The November 2009 China Briefing features the The Asia Comparator which benchmarks 13 Asian cities: Bangkok, Beijing, Delhi, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Mumbai, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei weighted against the costs of goods and services. The costs for such are also provided for New York.
The Asia Comparator is available at no charge via the China Briefing website, http://www.china-briefing.com .
Among the various tables in The Asia Comparator are several surprising
conclusions such as it is less expensive to purchased assembled electrical household
electronics and appliances in Manhattan than it is in Beijing (despite the fact the goods
are made in China) and it is more expensive to buy a car in China than the US.
Information in The Asia Comparator is provided by Dezan Shira & Associates from its analysis of a broader three-year, 73 city, multi-continent report recently produced by UBS. The Asia Comparator subdivides the data into distinct sections, including:
employment and salary levels, wage comparisons, domestic expenditures, apartment
rentals and entertainment and travel.
For example, the average person in New York will work 14 minutes to afford a Big Mac. In Shanghai people will need to work 30 minutes while in Beijing they will need to put in 44 minutes and Mumbai 61 minutes. The same burger will take 88 minutes of work Manila.
If it were an iPod Nano, someone would need to work nine hours New York and 19 hours in Hong Kong to afford the product. Similarly, as compared to New York, someone would have to work three times longer in Singapore, six times in Shanghai and 20x in Mumbai to purchase an iPod.
The Asia Comparator indicates that a basket of various household electrical items averaged out at US $3,210 globally, with New York at US $2,790. China realized prices of US $2,830 in Beijing and US $2,510 in Shanghai, meaning the same goods cost more in Beijing to buy than in New York. This astonishing statistic comes despite the additional cost of freight to New York and the likelihood many of the products were manufactured in China. Surprising too was that electrical goods in Hong Kong cost 30% more than in New York and Beijing, despite many Hong Kong companies owning much of mainland China's electronic goods manufacturing.
New York, according to The Asia Comparator, is the most expensive for a standard double “en suite” room, including breakfast for two at US $240. Hong Kong was slightly less at US $230 and then the amounts drop to Bangkok at US $160, Delhi and Singapore at US $140 with Seoul and Taipei at US $120. From there, Manila and Mumbai are at US $110, Jakarta at US $70, Hanoi and Shanghai at US $65 and Beijing and Kuala Lampur at US $60 each.
Dezan Shira & Associates http://www.dezshira.com is a multi-office provider of legal, accounting, compliance and other business services based in China. Founded in 1992, the firm provides a range of services for companies considering or already having made a in foreign direct investment (FDI) in China. These offerings include Chinese accounting, tax, payroll and due diligence services. These services are provided in Dezan Shira’s 16 offices strategically located in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and India.
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