In case anyone was wondering how anyone could possibly survive off of $2 a day, having heard that statistic all over the place, I thought I'd provide a list of some prices that I've found to be fairly consistent here in the village. (Based on the current exchange rate of $1=MK375.)
<$0.03 (10 kwacha)
1Mango
1Banana
1Leaf of lettuce or similar green
7Pumpkin leaves
1Juice aka freeze pop
$0.05 (20 kwacha)
1Mandazi (Fried dough)
1Bag of popcorn
1Samosa (small)
$0.10-0.15 (30-60 kwacha)
1Egg
1Cup common vegetables (onions, tomatoes, potatoes, etc)
$0.20-0.30 (100 kwacha)
1Head of cabbage (small)
~1Cup rice
~2km bike taxi ride
$0.40-0.60 (150-200 kwacha)
10oz soda
1Loaf of bread
$0.75-1.25 (300-500 kwacha)
20km of travel on a minibus
10oz beer
1kg sugar
1Item of used clothing (though there's a large price range based on perceived quality)
1Pair flip-flops
2-tiered woven basket stand
$3.00 (1000-1300 kwacha)
1Chitenje (2m of printed fabric)
1kg peanut butter
1Live chicken
A decent meal out (in a small town)
$5.00 (2000 kwacha)
500g coffee
1L gin/rum/vodka
500MB data on cellular network
1Tailor-made dress (not counting the cost of material)
Basically, I think of spending 1000 kwacha (~$2.50) the way I would think of $10 if I were living in America (which is good, since as a volunteer I make less than $200 a month).
As an aside, 4 months ago right now I was in a plane over the Atlantic. Boy how time flies. Get it?!
No comments:
Post a Comment