It’s important to understand exchange rates like these when you travel to avoid falling into the trap of thinking of foreign currencies as "play money" or "Monopoly money" simply because their values are unfamiliar to you. Understanding exchange rates and avoiding overspending helps me save my change for "important" things, like tahini pies at Zorbas bakery, and that’s pretty “sweet,” don’t you agree?
In Europe, where the metric system is a way of life, not just something you learn for science class, the standard size for a small water bottle is 500 milliliters, which is about 17 ounces. In my last logbook, I taught you about the costs of larger value-sized water bottles for savvy, or smart, Cypriot shoppers. However, if you’re on the go and need a small water bottle, it will typically cost around €0.80, which is about $0.90. (For small purchases like this, the exchange rate doesn't cause the price in dollars to be much more than the price shown on the price tag in euros. However, for bigger purchases, like a month's rent or a used car, these differences can really add up if I don't pay attention to the exchange rate when budgeting my money.)
In Georgia, by contrast, I’ve seen water bottles of that size go for as little as 0.50 GEL ($0.19). This means that a dollar can go a long way in Georgia! Check out the photos to the right to see examples of the prices of various Cypriot and Georgian products at corner stores and vending machines. What would you be willing to pay for drinks and snacks like these?
