Ask HN: Cost of living across the world (Ramen PPP Index for hackers)

HN users,

Technology has made it possible for us to become truly mobile and I think that gives us a tremendous opportunity to travel, explore new places, and meet new people. Relevant data on purchasing power parity is very sketchy, however.

I think it would be interesting to compare the cost and quality of living as well as earning potential in various cities/countries for programmers/designers. Instead of the Big Mac index, we could have our own Ramen Purchasing Power Parity Index. :)

Reply with the following:

Place(City and Country)

Monthly expenses (details will help a lot)

Typical monthly wage for a programmer / designer

Dumaguete, Philippines

General expenses in USD (not necessarily mine because I'm detailing how to live cheaply here which is not my goal)

Rent: Two bedroom unfurnished house as low as $80 / month or upgrade to western standard furnished studio for approximately $230 / month.

Internet: $21 - $35 for 1 - 2 MBPS connection.

Electricity: Big variation on costs depending on your lifestyle. My bill is around $30 / month.

Food: Also hugely varies but it's pretty easy to live here on a bill of around $100 / month for one and more people gets cheaper per person.

And most importantly...

One bottle of San Miguel Pilsen (beer!) - approx $1 / bottle at the bar.

Most programmers in India live in their parents house. So they save $500 on rent and are able to live on $400 per month.

Programmers who move of parents house, share a 1 bed room apartment with 3 friends to save on rent and cover up their cost of living.

Few of them make over $1000 per month and live independently, with a better lifestyle. You actually need at least $1000 per month for decent living in India.

The $500 apartment I mentioned, is nothing fancy. Just a 1 bed room unfurnished apartment with bare minimum utilities and 12 hrs of daily electricity power cuts.

Beijing, China

$500 to $1000 in rent, plus equivalent amount food and entertainment for a non-stressful lifestyle. You can pare down costs to perhaps $800/month by getting a room in a shared apartment and eating inexpensively. Add on $2500 annual expenses for visa, entry-exit expenses, etc.

Hiring programmers costs between $500 and $1500 per month depending on skills and experience. Without a legitimate Chinese business it can be hard to attract talent since you will not be able to pay social benefits, etc. Starting a legitimate business costs upwards of $30,000 in a one-time incorporation expense and pushes hiring costs to about $1500 per month per staffer.

Australia in AUD (about the same as USD these days):

One bedroom rent in Sydney: $1200/month (EDIT: increased the rent based on comments)

Food: $400

Wages:$60K-120K/year (gross)

Internet:$50/month

Phone: $50/month

Bus ticket: $3.20

McDonalds Big Mac small meal: $6.45

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By the way, I am looking to hire a Ruby on Rails developer for USD600/month in India / Philippines / Indonesia to help me develop my ideas.

Please contact me if interested aymeric{at}wiselabs.net