American dollars buying more in Canada?

[chris222]

I've read various times, in looking through these forums, the claim that americans have a good deal when they travel to Canada as their dollars buy much more than Canadian dollars do. I'm not sure this is true.

I had always just assumed that while american dollars were worth more than canadian dollars, prices were higher in canada and wages were higher and so everything evened out.

This isn't exactly true, but it seems close to true from the statistics I've looked up. National median hourly wage in canada is $15.65. In the US, it's $13.01.

Multiply $15.65 canadian dollars by the current exchange rate, .76 american dollars per canadian dollar, and you get the result that the median canadian hourly wage is $11.81 in american dollars. This is only 10% less then the american figure, not that 30% that people seem to assume it is.

And I'd be willing to bet that the VCR which costs $100 american will cost $130 canadian, meaning there's no savings in coming to buy in canada.

Now, escorts are much cheaper in canada than in the US... but I believe this is almost totally due to the legal situation in the US.

 

[makuro]

Well I travel a LOT to the states, I'm probably in the states 90% of the time, but I am getting PAID in canadian dollars. And let me tell you if you think that it's about the same, I'll trade some CDN for some US with you.

Generally price wise, I find the numerical value about the same, but NOT factoring in the exchange rate. That being said there are always certain items that buck the trend one way or another. For instance SPs are MUCH more expensive in the states, partially due to the less accepted nature of the biz? I dunno. But the average rates are $300 US/hr and that is comparable to $150/hr CDN providers in Vancouver. I usually buy certain items while travelling down here that I can't get up in Canada, or else there are some things that go on sale here that become cheaper, even after the exchange rate. But generally I find the numerical value, compariable. Though Chris222 does make a good point about earning power in the US vs Canada, the average is a little different, however that is because in the US there is more of a gap between the rich and the poor. In canada not many are ultra rich, and not many are ultra poor, there are exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking Canada has a smaller gap between the rich and the poor.

Down in LA right now, wishing I was back home with the Vancouver SP's!

 

[chris222]

For instance SPs are MUCH more expensive in the states, partially due to the less accepted nature of the biz? I dunno.

It's because of the total illegality of prostitution in the US, which is due to the fact that the US is infested with right wing fundamentalist christians.

I understand that Canada has a lot of wide open unsettled space up north, would you all mind if we americans shipped our christian fundamentalists up to you? They're quite a lot of fun, what with their church going, bible thumping, and general disapproval of almost everything.

Their faith in God, their belief in rigid conformity to centuries old values, and their distrust of any field of science which might call into question the literal truth of the bible, would no doubt allow them to survive and thrive in the frozen wastelands of northern canada.

 

[Henry Flowers]

Hey Chris222

Im not sure your use of median income is statistically congruent to your conclusion. I'm no expert, but, it seems to me that the median number is the middle number in a series of number (so; in the series 1,4,5,7,15,28,31, the median number would be 7, which is not the same as the average, 13)

Anyway, welcome to the Great White North any time Chris but kindly keep your fundamentalists on down south where they belong....

 

[wolverine]

It's because of the total illegality of prostitution in the US, which is due to the fact that the US is infested with right wing fundamentalist christians.

I understand that Canada has a lot of wide open unsettled space up north, would you all mind if we americans shipped our christian fundamentalists up to you? They're quite a lot of fun, what with their church going, bible thumping, and general disapproval of almost everything.

Their faith in God, their belief in rigid conformity to centuries old values, and their distrust of any field of science which might call into question the literal truth of the bible, would no doubt allow them to survive and thrive in the frozen wastelands of northern canada.

We have enough of those Christian fundamentalists here in Alberta. I blame them for the horrendous state of our strip clubs. The stink of Ernest Manning's Socreds still lingers here.

 

[chris222]

Re: Hey Chris222

Im not sure your use of median income is statistically congruent to your conclusion. I'm no expert, but, it seems to me that the median number is the middle number in a series of number (so; in the series 1,4,5,7,15,28,31, the median number would be 7, which is not the same as the average, 13)

A statistical point which nobody will care about, but which I shall discuss anyway:

Median is indeed, I think, the better way to look at how much the "average" person makes than actually looking at the statistical average. The "median" is the middle number in a series of numbers, while the "average" is what you get when you add all the numbers together, then divide by the number of them.

As an example of why this is true, imagine the street that Bill Gates lives on. Let's say there are 10 houses on the block he lives on. The net worth of the owners of the other 9 houses, might be about $500,000 a piece. The net worth of Bill Gates is $40 billion.

So if you said, "What's the average net worth of people living on that block?", you'd add up all their net worths, then divide by 10. Which would tell you that the "average" person on that block was worth 4 billion, 450 thousand dollars. Which is an utterly meaningless statistic. NOBODY on that block is worth anything like that much. You have 9 people worth a fraction of 1% of that, and 1 person worth 10 times that much.

But if you said, "What's the median net worth of the people on the block", you'd find it was $500,000. Which is a meaningful statistic, this is what the typical person on the block is worth.

In fact, if Bill Gates moved to a small town, population 10,000, you might then calculate that the average person in the town would have a net worth of 4 million dollars. This would be statistically true, and it would tell you nothing, because 9,999 of those millionaires wouldn't be millionaires at all, and one of them would be a multi billionaire.

Looking at median instead of average is sometimes helpful as it filters out the astronomically large numbers at the top of the scale which might otherwise throw the whole thing off and give you a meaningless or misleading number.

 

[BC Bound]

A couple of observations from South of the Border...

My business involves dealing with small companies doing business on both sides of the border. The two countries, for people not at either end of the economic spectrum, are just about alike paycheck-wise and cost-wise -- but you will find particular items that are significantly higher or lower priced on one side of the border as another. The more significant issue is that Vancouver is a slightly more expensive place to live than Seattle, and even more expensive than my town, Portland. But it's also a more expensive place to live than Kelowna.

The sex industry is one of those things where you are lucky in Vancouver. I would pay double or triple!! for an escort here (I can't afford that), it's all in the legality. (Heck, that makes Vancouver cheaper for all of us PERBerts, right?) Even the SW's are more here. Sure, a lapdance at the strip club is cheaper, but touching is almost unheard of.

Sure, there are differences. But the whole story is that one is not a lot different from the other, long as you don't try to compare apples and oranges.

 

[makuro]

Just compare some T & A!

 

[Dave in Phoenix]

At least in Canada you don't have state and city criminal laws like we do.

In some Canadian cities licensing bylaws restrict strip club activities but no criminal risk with the Canadian Supreme Court ruling upholding full contact nude laps as long as no penetration or masturbation. But of course bylaws that could close a club also a club's concern, but no risk to the customer or dancer.

Your greatest advantage of course is outcall escorting totally legal and no city or province can pass a more restrictive criminal law. Very different from the U.S.

Without the legal risks in Canada you have far more supply vs in the U.S. all the supply takes the risk of going to jail. This of course is a prime reason escort costs are mostly lower in Canada even without our U.S. exchange advantage.