One of the benefits of living in Seoul is the unusually cheap cellphone rates. Most people are shocked when they sign up for a plan.
One of the Korean teachers helped me sign up a few nights ago. A phone with television, internet and a bunch of other stuff cost 30,000 won (about $25). The plan costs about $10 per month. In the U.S., the cost is usually about five times what it is here. Why is that?
Oh, and when you go to a sporting event here, booze and food costs about the same as what it does in grocery stores. As long as I'm here, I can say goodbye to $8 or $10 beers at the stadium. The capitalistic mentality of jacking prices is nowhere to be found on the streets of Seoul.
When I was there in 1980-1981, the exchange was 500 won to $1. If calculating correctly, it is now 1200 won to $1.
ReplyDeleteAs to why the phones are less expensive there, I believe its because many phones are manufactured in Asia, therefore they are less expensive to transport. Stateside, they are imports and each "handler" along the way has to make their buck which is the American way.
I always found the Koreans excellent at bartering. In fact, many in Tund Du Chon would be insulted if you didn't try to haggle. I love the culture.