# Using Numbeo



## gringotim (Jan 5, 2011)

I had never heard of Numbeo until someone asked a question on the Mexico forum, so I have done a bit of investigating, and from what I can see, it might be used more by people from European countries than those from North America. So thinking there might be a few reading on the Canada forum who have heard about it, just hope you don't use the data on there when it comes to deciding where to live or not live, and definitely don't take the data on there tooo seriously. From what I can tell, based on looking at places I have been and know about, it's not that accurate. The problem is, it 's a crap shoot as to what is or isn't close to be being correct, mainly because all the data is based on how people like you and me answer the questions, and who have no obligation to express the truth. For example, Prices are based on what someone paid for something, but did they buy at a store like WalMart or a store that charges 25-50% more, from what I could tell, a lot of food and clothing was from the more expensive stores. Crime stats are based on what someone knows, but if they have never been a victim, never watch the news, or read the paper, they might say crime is low, when in fact it is higher than they believe. If they don't drive during peak hours, they may say traffic is fine. You also have to look at how many people have actually contributed to the specific category you are looking at and when the last time was, the info could be by one person and /or may be months if not years since the last update. Numbeo is no different than say Tripadvisor, info is based on what people say, and should be taken with a BIG grain of salt.


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## gringotim (Jan 5, 2011)

Geraham said:


> What do you mean by "in fact" ? ..


Most people would know what I mean, if you don't, then I can't help you


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

dodol said:


> Even a thesis research is always "assuming" a.k.a hypothesis even their data is a primary data.



What


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

gringotim said:


> Most people would know what I mean, if you don't, then I can't help you



I get what you mean - that a person's perception of crime rates based on personal experience does not necessarily correlate to actual crime stats. And that is perfectly true.


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## Dinosaur (Mar 28, 2014)

So, is there something better than Numbeo we can use, does someone maybe know?


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

Dinosaur said:


> So, is there something better than Numbeo we can use, does someone maybe know?



Yes, official sources from government agencies (ie. RCMP, Statistics Canada, local police force statistics, etc.).


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## Helrig50 (Sep 7, 2011)

Numbeo does seem more geared to young, childless Europeans. And it really isn't extensive enough, although I understand why they wouldn't to add every possible item. But that limitation makes it not so useful, so no, I wouldn't use it to figure out where to live.

From my experience, no matter where you go, it always ends up costing more than you think, despite careful research. Startup costs, especially, can be a shocker. It's amazing how many people have their hands out to newcomers for various fees. For instance, utility companies in some countries will charge a new customer a security deposit, refundable after a year but an unexpected hit to newcomers who need to be careful with funds until they get settled. The cost of living list is also missing some important things like car insurance & annual licensing fees which can be substantial, and property taxes & insurance.


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## Dinosaur (Mar 28, 2014)

colchar said:


> Yes, official sources from government agencies (ie. RCMP, Statistics Canada, local police force statistics, etc.).


Thanks Colchar, that's a good idea. Although I was referring to prices in supermarkets and such, which I would usually check on supermarket sites, but since not all of them list their goods and prices, it can be hard to get a somewhat realistic picture, so that's why Numbeo seemed like the way to go on the food front. But having read all this I see that it must be way off.


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## sillywilly (Apr 7, 2014)

Dinosaur said:


> Thanks Colchar, that's a good idea. Although I was referring to prices in supermarkets and such, which I would usually check on supermarket sites, but since not all of them list their goods and prices, it can be hard to get a somewhat realistic picture, so that's why Numbeo seemed like the way to go on the food front. But having read all this I see that it must be way off.


As someone mentioned earlier, prices on Numbeo may be in a range, but the low end of some of the ranges is still high, and there is only a range if more than 1 person has answered that particular question, or if there are 2 or more different answers : a can of Pepsi/Coke (355ml) can be as low as .25 cents if bought in a 12 or 24 pack when on sale, but it says price is for a single bottle thats only .33 of a litre, (smaller than a 355ml can), and who buys a bottle that size for even the lower range price of $1.50, (if that size is even available). If you want a better idea of grocery prices, at least in Canada and the US, Best is to check online for a Walmart flyer for a particular city and go thru it, you can also check online for grocery stores for a particular city or for other nationwide stores like maybe Safeway, but keep in mind, they are about 20% higher on average than Walmart or Superstore, at least in Victoria BC, although our Safeway was just sold to Save-On Foods, but they are priced as high as Safeway was.


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## luvcanada (Nov 10, 2011)

Dinosaur said:


> Thanks Colchar, that's a good idea. Although I was referring to prices in supermarkets and such, which I would usually check on supermarket sites, but since not all of them list their goods and prices, it can be hard to get a somewhat realistic picture, so that's why Numbeo seemed like the way to go on the food front. But having read all this I see that it must be way off.


I would suggest you look at weekly store flyers. They would give you the sale price of an item and often tell you the usual price. Try using this link: Groceries Flyers Richmond Hill, ON - RedFlagDeals.com

You will need to change the city where you want to see the prices.


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## gringotim (Jan 5, 2011)

luvcanada said:


> I would suggest you look at weekly store flyers. They would give you the sale price of an item and often tell you the usual price. Try using this link: Groceries Flyers Richmond Hill, ON - RedFlagDeals.com
> You will need to change the city where you want to see the prices.


Keep in mind, not all things in a flyer are on sale, sometimes its just the regular price, just like not all items in a bin down the center or on the end of an isle are on sale, they do it make people think its on sale, and having been an employee for a large grocery /department store chain, I can tell you, it works.


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## Dinosaur (Mar 28, 2014)

Thanks guys, these are all really great ideas. Now I can finally sit down and do some math


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