why are things much cheaper in the uk,

I know there are a million answers to that question, but honestly if you could give one short, concise answer to what would it be.

Some of the things I can't get me head around are 12 paracetamol for 16p,(Uk) here the cheapens I have ever found for paracetamol was 1 euro.
Pubs in the uk I had a bottle of wine ( NZ white wine) in a nice pub for £8, if I had a bottle of wine in a pub here it would be at least 18 and I would be lucky to get it for that price, In the UK you can get a combined broadband, TV, Phone package for £19.99.

G_R

Main reasons are:

-Business have higher overheads
-Business have much higher staff costs
-People in Ireland will pay higher prices, why the hell wouldn't you try rip us off!

Sykk

The wages in the UK are lower, cost of living is lower.

biZrb

Some things are cheaper. But the wages are lower, income tax is higher, you have to pay council tax etc
Things are cheaper because people have less money to spend.

Smcgie

Try working for about £200 per week then you will realise why everything is so cheap.

orourkeda

Try living in Barnsley

Irish Slaves for Europe

In the UK public sector pay is at about the same level as private sector pay. Whereas here we have high public sector pay rates and high dole payments which keep costs high throughout the economy. Until these are reduced the cost of living here will remain high.

Cookie_Monster

all business costs are cheaper from wages to power to rates to bureaucracy costs to rent to transport etc etc so everything produced by business can be cheaper

Sofiztikated

I heard the Queen pays the difference on everything.

Latchy

mariaalice wrote: »

In the UK you can get a combined broadband, TV, Phone package for £19.99[/B].

Some tv/phone/ internet broadband service companys ( Virgin Media) will also give you a deal on your Mobile = 100 minutes talk time /2000 texts /internetz option ...for £5 a month

Wages are much lower in uk which means stuff is cheaper ,some regions more then others ( north west England has always being a cheaper place to live than London )

summerskin

Why do people not get the difference between "being" and "been"????

seamus

There are also demographic issues on top of the wage argument. The UK has a massive population (15 times the size of Ireland). This means that companies can produce/ship their goods in the UK in higher quantities, which in turn makes the cost per product cheaper. Effectively it's the same reason why a box of teabags in the supermarket is 50c cheaper than the corner shop.

Irish-bound goods are often shipped via the UK, so we pay a surcharge on top of the UK cost for having it shipped here.

A larger population also means that each particular market can sustain a greater number of companies, which means that in virtually every single industry, there is more competition, which has a hand in driving prices down.

In mobile phones for example, we often complain that there's very little choice and that O2 and Vodafone operate an effective monopoly. But if you consider that there are only 4.5 million of us, there are only so many mobile phone companies that can operate here and still make a profit. Including MVNOs, Ireland has 7 mobile phone companies. The UK has 34 (and Orange, O2 and Vodafone operate an effective monopoly there). Proportionally we have much more competition in the market than the UK.


The wage arguement actually works both ways. Although higher wages can drive prices up, lower prices (through competition and otherwise) can also force wages down.

We will always be marginally more expensive in many areas than the UK, even if our economy completely tanks. It's the nature of any small island nation.

sunflower27

Was in the UK at the weekend and paracetamol was 40p for 24 tabs in Boots.

I picked up 3 boxes and always do when I go over there.

hondasam

summerskin wrote: »

Why do people not get the difference between "being" and "been"????

What difference does it make, Is it going to ruin your day.



Uk is not as cheap as it used to be.

Fratton Fred

biZrb wrote: »

Some things are cheaper. But the wages are lower, income tax is higher, you have to pay council tax etc
Things are cheaper because people have less money to spend.

I have vastly less disposable income in Ireland than I did in England.

In Ireland it seems that lower skilled jobs are well paid, but higher skilled/professional jobs are lower paid (outside of the public sector).

When I moved here I was told to expect to earn the same in euros as I did in sterling. At the time I went from £40k to €45k at a time when sterling was €1.40.

I was told not to worry, the tax is lower, but every time I or one of my family went to a GP, it cost us €60. A pint in my old local was £2.80, my new one it was €4.80.

Petrol at the time was cheaper here, but my car tax went from €140 per year to €500 and my car insurance from £180 to over €300.

Then there was the price of groceries.....

summerskin

hondasam wrote: »

What difference does it make, Is it going to ruin your day..

Yes, yes it is.


UK is still a lot cheaper. Was there last week and paid under a tenner for three pints of lager and a baileys. Had a meal for two in a very nice restaurant, 3 courses with a bottle of wine, for about £35. last week in Ennis we paid over €200 for 6 of us to have a similar meal, roughly double per person.

Picked up a 3D TV, 55 inch LCD with 2 pairs of 3D glasses and a 3D BluRay player, for £730.

Any best of all, my newspaper was only 20p!

hondasam

summerskin wrote: »

Any best of all, my newspaper was only 20p!

You bought the sun for 20p, you only got Uk news.

There are plenty of restaurants here with special offers.
Wine is not as expensive here as it was.

Latchy

hondasam wrote: »

Uk is not as cheap as it used to be.

No it's not ,gas ,electricity and food prices have shot up and this winter will see the real affect and impact of the austerity measures that has affected everybody .It also boils down in many cases to people learing to cut back on their own spending habits ,for others it means they will have no choice .

Richard Hillman

Competition that's what it all boils down to. Rent in England seems very high though.

Latchy

summerskin wrote: »

Yes, yes it is.

No it's not ,it's yes it will .

summerskin

hondasam wrote: »

You bought the sun for 20p, you only got Uk news.

There are plenty of restaurants here with special offers.
Wine is not as expensive here as it was.

Nope, i bought a local newspaper.

And surely the "irish" sun only gives irish news, according to your logic? strange that.

And wine here is still a complete rip off. 3 bottles of drinkable new world wines for a tenner in the UK. Same bottles are a tenner each here!

still, the pay here is better than most of the UK, though I did earn quite a bit more working in London(which is a rather expensive place to live, in fairness).

hondasam

Latchy wrote: »

No it's not ,gas ,electricity and food prices have shot up and this winter will see the real affect and impact of the austerity measures that has affected everybody .It also boils down in many cases to people learing to cut back on their own spending habits ,for others it means they will have no choice .

Food has got a lot dearer. When it comes to restaurants I think Ireland is way ahead in the cooking skills. That's just my opinion.

The daily paper in London ( don't know what it is called ) is now free.

Slightly off topic but I had a weekend in London last year and I have to say it was the best weekend away I have every had by far. The Boragh market yum yum.

Son Of A Vidic

It's not just the UK OP, we are the fifth most expensive country in Europe. But this comes as no surprise because recession or not, we still have plenty of the oul sleeveen bastárds about. And unfortunately we probably always will.

Fratton Fred

hondasam wrote: »

Food has got a lot dearer. When it comes to restaurants I think Ireland is way ahead in the cooking skills. That's just my opinion.

There are too many chain restaurants in the UK, they are cheapish, but rubbish.

There are though a hell of a lot more top end places.

hondasam

summerskin wrote: »

Nope, i bought a local newspaper.

And surely the "irish" sun only gives irish news, according to your logic? strange that.

And wine here is still a complete rip off. 3 bottles of drinkable new world wines for a tenner in the UK. Same bottles are a tenner each here!

still, the pay here is better than most of the UK, though I did earn quite a bit more working in London(which is a rather expensive place to live, in fairness).

what wine are you on about?

If I was in the the UK for a weekend I would not bother buying the paper because It would not have Irish news.

summerskin

hondasam wrote: »

Food has got a lot dearer. When it comes to restaurants I think Ireland is way ahead in the cooking skills. That's just my opinion.

You're joking, surely?

Most restaurants over here seem to think that all they have to do is give you more than you could possibly eat, and cook it to death! soggy vegetables with dried out meat.

Of course there are some exceptions, but on the whole, as someone who has to travel the length and breath of both Ireland the UK for work, restaurants in the UK are of a higher standard and offer a much wider variety of dishes.

The pubs here are better though, and guinness in the UK is invariably bad,

Latchy

The daily free paper in London and other parts of uk is the Metro .

hondasam wrote: »

Food has got a lot dearer. When it comes to restaurants I think Ireland is way ahead in the cooking skills. That's just my opinion.

Perhaps it is and I do enjoy the food on offer in Ireland although you also have a wide variety of restaurants to choose from in uk .For instance my local chinese has a deal on some days for all you can eat, for £6 and the carvery will have a wide variety of food on offer as well as the traditional chinese dish .

bryaner

hondasam wrote: »

Food has got a lot dearer. When it comes to restaurants I think Ireland is way ahead in the cooking skills. That's just my opinion.

I hope your having a laugh or trolling..

As I replies in another thread I have a daughter who lives in the uk, so I know what I am talking about, The overall cost of living in the uk is cheaper ( there might be some things cheaper here but they are few and far between ). The paper is not the metro its a paper that you use to have to pay for but is now free. Expensive restaurants are probably cheaper here, but sub that level its cheaper in the uk

--LOS--

They earn less and their social welfare payments are a lot lower than here so it's all relative. Great to visit there though!

summerskin

hondasam wrote: »

what wine are you on about?

If I was in the the UK for a weekend I would not bother buying the paper because It would not have Irish news.

3 bottles of Le Monferrine Piemonte Barbera for a tenner

I wasn't there for a weekend, I was away working not far from where i grew up. so i bought the local paper. I read the online version every day when i'm over here in Ireland just to keep up with what's happening so i can talk about it when i see my friends there.

So do i take that when you buy an irish paper you just skip over all the parts about the rest of the world? quite insular, no?

hondasam

bryaner wrote: »

I hope your having a laugh or trolling..

Both or you can decide for yourself.

bryaner

summerskin wrote: »

3 bottles of Le Monferrine Piemonte Barbera for a tenner

I wasn't there for a weekend, I was away working not far from where i grew up. so i bought the local paper. I read the online version every day when i'm over here in Ireland just to keep up with what's happening so i can talk about it when i see my friends there.

So do i take that when you buy an irish paper you just skip over all the parts about the rest of the world? quite insular, no?

Sure nothing happens in the rest of the world..;)

summerskin

Latchy wrote: »

No it's not ,it's yes it will .

Incorrect, the question was "Is it going to ruin your day?" making "yes it is." the correct answer.

Had the question been "Will it ruin your day?" the answer would be "Yes it will."

ejmaztec

summerskin wrote: »

Why do people not get the difference between "being" and "been"????

Because they've not being to school much.

hondasam

summerskin wrote: »

So do i take that when you buy an irish paper you just skip over all the parts about the rest of the world? quite insular, no?

The Irish paper has news from the rest of the world, the English paper does not have Irish news or I'm sure you will correct me.

summerskin

hondasam wrote: »

The Irish paper has news from the rest of the world, the English paper does not have Irish news or I'm sure you will correct me.

Amazingly enough though you can get copies of the Indo or the Irish Times in almost every city newsagent these days.

and then of course there's http://www.theirishworld.com/

and http://www.irishpost.ie/

just in case you're really craving the old country while away for 2 nights in London......

ejmaztec

hondasam wrote: »

The Irish paper has news from the rest of the world, the English paper does not have Irish news or I'm sure you will correct me.

It has Rathkeale property development news today, or at least the Daily Mail has.

Fratton Fred

The Evening Standard is the London paper that is now free.

bryaner

hondasam wrote: »

The Irish paper has news from the rest of the world, the English paper does not have Irish news or I'm sure you will correct me.

Maybe pick one up the next time your over there, go mental and spend 20p..

jonnny68

seamus wrote: »

There are also demographic issues on top of the wage argument. The UK has a massive population (15 times the size of Ireland). This means that companies can produce/ship their goods in the UK in higher quantities, which in turn makes the cost per product cheaper. Effectively it's the same reason why a box of teabags in the supermarket is 50c cheaper than the corner shop.

Irish-bound goods are often shipped via the UK, so we pay a surcharge on top of the UK cost for having it shipped here.

A larger population also means that each particular market can sustain a greater number of companies, which means that in virtually every single industry, there is more competition, which has a hand in driving prices down.

In mobile phones for example, we often complain that there's very little choice and that O2 and Vodafone operate an effective monopoly. But if you consider that there are only 4.5 million of us, there are only so many mobile phone companies that can operate here and still make a profit. Including MVNOs, Ireland has 7 mobile phone companies. The UK has 34 (and Orange, O2 and Vodafone operate an effective monopoly there). Proportionally we have much more competition in the market than the UK.


The wage arguement actually works both ways. Although higher wages can drive prices up, lower prices (through competition and otherwise) can also force wages down.

We will always be marginally more expensive in many areas than the UK, even if our economy completely tanks. It's the nature of any small island nation.

agree on most of what you say,however i would say Meteor are probably the most popular mobile company in Ireland and not Vodafone or O2, they are certainly the cheapest anyway.

hondasam

summerskin wrote: »

Amazingly enough though you can get copies of the Indo or the Irish Times in almost every city newsagent these days.

and then of course there's http://www.theirishworld.com/

and http://www.irishpost.ie/

just in case you're really craving the old country while away for 2 nights in London......

Is there lots of pictures in these papers?

bryaner wrote: »

Maybe pick one up the next time your over there, go mental and spend 20p..

why would I bother?

bryaner

hondasam wrote: »

Is there lots of pictures in these papers?





why would I bother?

Educate yourself..

summerskin

hondasam wrote: »

Is there lots of pictures in these papers?





why would I bother?

Surely you mean "Are there"?

And of course there are, the sports section in particular is full of them.

Latchy

--LOS-- wrote: »

They earn less and their social welfare payments are a lot lower than here so it's all relative. Great to visit there though!

Yes all very relative and lower welfare payments is something some Irish at home may have to get use to

summerskin wrote: »

Amazingly enough though you can get copies of the Indo or the Irish Times in almost every city newsagent these days.

It's much cheaper to read that indo rag online and save the clutter at home .The Irish post and the Irish world just re hash old news items ..like so last week

hondasam

bryaner wrote: »

Educate yourself..

summerskin wrote: »

Surely you mean "Are there"?

And of course there is, the sports section in particular is full of them.

Look at ye two, don't ye look great together.

summerskin

hondasam wrote: »

Look at ye two, don't ye look great together.

Like the Hall and Oates of AH. Thanks.

ch750536

I have lived in ireland for 7 years but continued working for a company in the UK. My PAYE was still taken incorrectly by UK revenue.
Finally sorted this about a month ago, for the years 2007,2008,2009,2010 the UK handed over my tax payments only (not NIC - 'social tax') to Irish revenue, where I then had my tax calculated and then had to pay 'social tax' - essentially paying this part twice and then I received a notification of the difference.

I was given back close to half a years salary (net, at the UK rate). Remember, this includes paying for the PRSI \ social charge in both countries.

May be cheaper to buy stuff but definately more expensive for me & my family to live in. Add to this the council tax, rediculous parking fees , cost of train journeys abysmal rental market

bryaner

summerskin wrote: »

Like the Hall and Oates of AH. Thanks.

High five..:D

Phill Ewinn

There's now 450,000 people on SW in the country. All adults who shop in their household. That's a sea change in the relative wealth in the economy.

If people are making assumptions about lower minimum wage equaling lower cost of living think again.

Never before have so many people been so badly off and yet the cost of the weekly shop and energy bills are rising.

Costs in the economy are something the government need to control. Rents, speculation, red tape, consumer access, etc before minimum wage cuts. Putting the cart before the horse won't solve anything

Wage bills in a large retailer are hardly significant if the employer is paying three quarters of a million a year in rent.