Another Monkey Consumer Price Index, 6/24/08

Ever since I temporarily moved to Delaware in 1989 through 1991, I've been fascinated by the price differences between different places. How much does the price of necessities vary from place to place? What about luxury goods? And do either of these vary based on varying income levels or housing costs? And how do prices for staples vary over time?

I'm no economist, but I do have a tool at my disposal to record the prices of items and give others the opportunity to compare them. This blog.

Today was shopping day. I saved the receipt and noted the prices of several items that may be common in different parts of the world. I'm indicating the price and the size, so these can be translated into the home units for anyone in another country. (I generally use XE.com to convert currency, but currency conversion rates vary from day to day, and I don't know if XE has historical exchange rate data.) I also bought gas yesterday, so I'll throw that in, too.

Here are the exchange rates for one U.S. dollar on 6/24/08, according to XE.com:

$1 =

• 0.507462 GBP (British Pounds)
• 0.64215 Euros
• 1.01238 Canadian Dollars
• 1.04543 Australian Dollars
• 5.11534 NOK (Norway Kroners)
• 107.675 Japanese Yen
• 1,193.75 Iraq Dinars
• 5,200.05 Turkmenistan Manats
• 9,005,149,886.88 Zimbabwe Dollars

So without further ado, here's the inaugural edition of the Another Monkey Consumer Price Index!

Gas, 87 octane, Sam's Club, Wilkes-Barre PA, 6/23/08: $3.959/gallon

Groceries from Weis Market, Nanticoke, PA, 6/24/08:

Milk, 2% milkfat, half-gallon: $1.82
Flour, 5 lbs.: $2.19
House Brand Plain Lowfat Yogurt, 32 oz.: $2.59
Brer Rabbit Blackstrap Molasses, 16 oz.: $3.39

California Celery, 1 stalk: $2.69
Macintosh apples, 3 lbs.: $3.49
Strawberries, 16 oz.: $3.99 (buy one, get one free)
Blueberries, 1 U.S. dry pint, $3.99 (buy one, get one free)
Seedless Watermelon: $0.49/ounce
Onions, yellow, 5 lbs.: $3.99
Potatoes, Russet, 10 lbs.: $5.99
Barley, bag, 16 oz.: $0.99

Gatorade (comparable to Lucozade), 32 oz.: $1.47 (on sale for $1)
House brand diet soda (pop/fizzy drink), 2 liters: $0.80
Chocolate bar, Hershey's, 5 oz.: $1.29 (on sale for $1)

How do your prices compare?