What $1 Buys
Indonesia: What a Dollar Can Buy You
By Thomas on April 20, 2012 | No Comments »
Indonesia used to be one of the cheapest places in Southeast Asia. But in recent years, prices in the large archipelago have caught up with those of other countries in the region. Especially areas such as Kalimantan, eastern Nusa Tenggara as well as Papua can be painfully expensive, with transportation and accommodation often being the main culprits.
I know, I must sound like a broken record. Haven’t I complained about rising costs in every other country? The fact is that prices in the developing world are shooting up at lightning speed which makes backpacking on a budget increasingly challenging. And Indonesia is the poster child for such change.
One interesting oddity is the price ratio between Coke and gasoline. Indonesia has the most expensive Coca Cola but the cheapest gas we have seen anywhere in Asia. You would think that the low gas prices would be reflected in transportation costs – but as I mentioned above, this is not always so. In addition to that, Tony’s Coke addiction has set us back quite a bit (as we all know, Coke is to Tony what gas is to a car).
Fortunately, there are plenty of affordable things to go around. Here’s what you can get for 9,000 rupiah or around a buck:
- 1 load of laundry (about 3.5 kg)
- 1 creamy avocado shake
- 2 km taxi ride
- 4 liters (1 gal.) of drinking water
- 1 pre-cut pineapple on touristy Seminyak beach, Bali
- 1 hour of Internet access
- 1 vegetarian meal in a typical warung
- 2 liters of gasoline
- 0.5 liter of Coca Cola
- 3 packs of local cigarettes
- 1 mandatory donation to enter traditional Sasak village, Lombok
- 7 Yakult probiotic yogurt drinks
- 4 angkot rides (public minibus covering city routes)
- 1 sleeping mat rental on overnight ferry
Singapore: What a Dollar Can Buy You
By Thomas on November 2, 2011 | No Comments »
It’s almost needless to say, but one dollar doesn’t buy you much in Southeast Asia’s most expensive country. The transition coming from neighboring Malaysia happens fast and is a shock to the penny-pinching system. Bigger and glitzier malls, cleaner streets, fancier clothes, and – most notable to us – much higher prices. As Tony mentioned in Singapore for Budgeteers, the city is for those with bucks to burn. Often, the same products and brands offered in Malaysia are more than twice as expensive here in Singapore. Ouch, that hurts.
Clearly, in order to enjoy the city, we had to put our budget on the backburner for a while. But Singapore is not completely a lost cause. There are still some items and services that can be had for 1.25 Singapore dollars or around a buck:
- 1.5 liters of drinking water
- 1 yam cake
- 3.2 km in an air-con city bus
- 3 apples
- 1 can of coke
- 2 stops by metro
- 1 Mentos
- 1 Chinese egg tart
- 0.5 hours of parking in Chinatown
- 1 barbequed chicken wing
Sadly, this might just be the complete list of 1-dollar-items in all of Singapore…
Oh well, it may not be the ultimate budget destination, but neither is Paris, Tokyo, London, Rome, or a host of other sensational cities. Just remember to pack a couple of extra credit cards. 
On a completely “separate note”, keen observers might notice Singapore doesn’t have $1 bills, so why are there $1 notes in the photo above? Those are Brunei dollars which are accepted legal tender in Singapore as well. Unfortunately, shops run by many of Singapore’s guest workers are often unaware of that fact, which can make using the notes rather difficult in places such as Little India and Chinatown.
Malaysia: What a Dollar Can Buy You
By Thomas on July 29, 2011 | No Comments »
In many ways, Malaysia reminds me of the Philippines. It’s a country torn between development and deterioration where one can find open sewers right next to super-mega malls, biological wastelands next to intact jungle, and sea gypsy settlements right next to high-end resorts. While much of the Malaysia experience is decidedly third-world, the prices don’t always reflect that. In fact, Malaysia can be downright expensive.
Dragon Fruit
Although some food options can be quite cheap in Malaysia, accommodation and transportation are more expensive than other parts of Southeast Asia. But the greatest shock to the wallet is the very high cost of activities here. Although most temples and mosques are usually free, other entry fees are often quite pricey. And experiencing Malaysia’s natural heritage (or what’s left of it) can border on extortionate.
Prices are especially high when leaving peninsular Malaysia and traveling through Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. There, fueled by the logging and palm oil industries, prices can get a little crazy leaving visitors scratching their heads in disbelief and seriously asking themselves whether the trip was worth it. Here a dirty dormitory bed can cost more than an air-conditioned hotel room with cable TV in Bangkok. Anyone up for a $1000 3-day camping trip? Yikes. Let’s just say with the money we put out in Sabah, we could’ve spent a month in Paris.
But not to worry. Malaysia is not a lost cause for the budget conscious. There are still a few affordable things to be had for three ringgit or about a buck:
- 3 roti canai and a small plate of curry (great lunch)
- 1 hour of Internet access
- 2 cans of coke
- 9 minutes on a Rest’n Go massage chair
- 1 mango lassi (if you look very hard)
- 1.5 visits to the “premier paid toilet” at Suria mall in KL
- 4 liters (1 gal.) of drinking water
- 3 ferry crossings from Butterworth to Georgetown
- 6 vegetable samosas
- 1.5 km in a taxi (after the initial flag-down rate)
- 3 Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 kg of clean laundry
- 1 large dragon fruit
- 300 g of steel chain (don’t ask)
Vietnam: What a Dollar Can Buy You
By Thomas on November 24, 2010 | No Comments »
Vietnam would be a dirt-cheap country – if visitors could only pay the local prices. But more often than not, tourists are charged inflated rates for pretty much everything. With this in mind, we had to really kick it up a notch and work the Vietnamese with our superb bargaining skills.
And even with that, we stayed just within budget. I have to admit, we put out a lot more money on upgrades: a deluxe Halong Bay cruise, more polished hotels, and fancy sleeper trains. And our fabulous Food-Venture set us back a bit which, I’m ecstatic to say, was worth every dong. (Oh, dong jokes – we’ve heard them all.)
Overall, Vietnam is still very affordable and there are plenty of things you can get for 20,000 dong or about a buck:
- 1 day of bicycle rental
- 2 Vietnamese coffees with sweet condensed milk
- 15 minutes of air time on a Mobifone sim card
- 1 bowl of pho bo
- 1 small load of laundry
- 250 grams of candied ginger
- 1 Chinese lantern made of bamboo and fabric
- 40 quail eggs
- 1 Vietnamese conical hat (non la)
- 7 liters of drinking water
- 2 tickets to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi
- 2 chilled Halida beers
- 1.25 liters of gasoline
Philippines: What a Dollar Can Buy You
By Thomas on September 23, 2010 | 8 Comments »
There’s a reason why we haven’t encountered as many backpackers in the Philippines as we have in other parts of Asia. The island nation, caught between the developed and the developing world, can definitely break the bank especially if you want to engage in many of the activities the Philippines is so famous for: island hopping, caving, volcano trekking and, above all, scuba diving. If you want to have fun in the Philippines, you pay for it.
Kikiam
Generally, there are no super-great bargains to be had in the Philippines, and many other countries in Asia are a much better value for money, especially when it comes to accommodation. Having said that, we did find some special treats in the 2-3 dollar range. For this amount, you can see a movie, get a 1-hour massage or eat a Big Mac meal. But be warned, these little bargains add up quickly! If you happen to be on a tight budget, you had better stick to the $1 deals. And here’s what you can get for around a buck:
- 45 kikiam (fried fish snacks)
- 1 men’s hair cut
- 9 lumpia (vegetable spring rolls)
- 28 Marlboro cigarettes
- 1 large freshly-brewed coffee at 7Eleven
- 3 AA batteries
- 2 fancy Halo Halo (shaved ice treat with cheese)
- 2 hours of Internet access
- 4 custard-filled donuts from Mr. Donut
- 2 km taxi ride
- 4 liters (1 gal.) of drinking water
- 3 pounds of rice
