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A comment on The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone.

Re:The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone by seanmcdirmid on Thursday June 20, 2013 @01:54AM (#5910428)
I guess I'm an accidental currency speculator, having most of my savings in RMB and the rest in CHF. It is definitely good for those of us who earn RMB, vacations are much cheaper. But imports haven't really fallen accordingly; I will believe it when Apple lowers their prices according to the exchange rate value (they are out of synch now, normally their prices are pretty close + 20% tax).
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Re:The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone by contingencies on Thursday June 20, 2013 @03:18AM (#5910680)
Spot on. After watching the value inflate over the last 10 years, I left! It's too damn expensive to be in China now. Imported products are ridiculously expensive, too. Wander down to Hanoi just over the border in north Vietnam for a pleasant shock!
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Re:The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone by seanmcdirmid on Thursday June 20, 2013 @05:12AM (#5911009)
Are prices really much better in Hanoi? I mean for imported goods like Levi jeans, Apple computers, cars, shoes (all of which are made in China, but...).

I'm OK with the expenses, I just shop when I'm on holiday in the states.

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Re:The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone by vacri on Thursday June 20, 2013 @06:13AM (#5911187)
They certainly aren't at the Lego shop.
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Re:The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone by contingencies on Thursday June 20, 2013 @06:33AM (#5911241)
Beer, wine and cheese - yeah. Most food - yeah. Hotels - iffy, most people get taken for a ride, but there's good deals I would say are cheaper than China given location and quality. So all in all - yes, it's far cheaper (and far more international!) in my opinion.
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Re:The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone by seanmcdirmid on Thursday June 20, 2013 @06:51AM (#5911284)
Food made locally is cheap in China also. I'm not complaining about restaurant prices, even the good ones that serve western food (and WTF, why are hamburgers in Beijing better than anywhere else?).

Hotels definitely are iffy in China, most people get ripped off. I don't bother holidaying in China, if I want the beach, its like Thailand or Philippines, the values are remarkably good off peak. I haven't tried Vietnam yet, I heard it wasn't really a resort place yet.

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Re:The Yuan: The cheapest thing going is gone by prewett on Thursday June 20, 2013 @08:45AM (#5911685)
Many imported products are subject to 20 or 25% luxury tax, so the problem might not be entirely the RMB's increase.
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