Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cost

Free Parking

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:42:19 -0800

What would be involved in building a driveway / basement-level garage for a house in Seattle, WA with respect to zoning, estimated costs, etc.? Specifically, it would be for a house that currently has on-street, city-zoned parking only.

Calculating road trip debts: Beyond the Excel Spreadsheet

jytsai — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:44:05 -0800

7 friends and I are going on a road trip. At restaurants we usually have one person pay by credit card, and have everyone paying for what they ordered to the individual. Oh, and not everyone is gonna be at every event, so having one individual pay for everything on the trip is impossible. And it should redistribute debts so at most each person only needs to make 1 payment to another person. What is the best free method for calculating who pays whom? There are many websites, but the 5 or 6 I've tried so far all have at least one or more of the following problems:
1) Assumes that at restaurants everyone goes dutch and splits bills equally. (Not usually how my group does things; people will complain.)
2) Assumes that you are the person who pays for everything.
3) Limits free access to situations that have less than 8 individuals.
4) Does not optimize payments. (In theory, it should be possible to reassign debts from one individual to another so that each person only needs to make one payment to one person.)

Here is an simplified example:
4 people, 3 events...
*Person 1 paid for gas ($36), split among the three. Person 4 did not participate.
*Person 2 paid for a meal, where person 1's order was $6, person 2's was $8, and person 3's was $10. Person 4 did not participate.
*Person 4 borrowed $10 from Person 3.

I want to be able to plug how much each person owes at each event, who paid, and have it tell me something like:
Person 2 owes Person 1 $6.
Person 3 owes Person 1 $12.
Person 3 owes Person 2 $10, but since person 4 owes him $10, person 3 pays nothing and transfers the debt so...
Person 4 pays person 2 $10.

Cost of a car

josher71 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:51:07 -0800

How do I calculate if getting a car is worth it? Moving from NYC, I haven't had a car in many years. However, now that I'm in Baltimore it seems that many jobs are out in places where you need a car to reach. Having never, bought, leased, cared for, or had anything to do with a car ever in my life, how much money should I expect this to cost me yearly if I go the lowest cost route possible? Currently, I've got about 200 dollars a month to put towards anything car related.

I'm trying to figure out when comparing salaries what makes sense. For example I might only be able to find a job that pays 30k in the city, but there is job for 35k somewhere I could drive to. However, having a car costs 7k a year so I'd actually be losing money taking the job.

How much money does Apple receive for every iPhone sold?

ejfox — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:36:45 -0800

How much money is Apple actually making per iPhone? I know for a 16GB iPhone 3G S it costs the user $199 with a 2-year-contract with AT&T. I know that AT&T pays a subsidy to Apple for every iPhone sold.

However, I can't seem to find information (however flaky) on how much AT&T is actually paying, or how much Apple is actually making.

I'm trying to compare the manufacture costs for the iPhone with the number apple is selling the iPhones for to figure out what Apple's profit is. Any information that could help me with that would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Failing this, does anyone know a good cobbler in 19104?

SansPoint — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:06:40 -0800

Help me find a pair of decent, grown-up shoes to wear to work, that will last me more than six months. Preferably for less than $100 a pair. Maybe it's just my feet. A few months ago, I picked up a nice looking pair of brown leather Steve Madden shoes from a nearby shoe store. They were on sale for $65. They looked good and were comfortable, and figured they'd be a great option to replace my previous shoes (Rockports), wherein the soles had been worn down to the point where parts of the heel were even with the front sole. *Those* replaced a pair of shoes (Bill Blass) that had detached from the sole.

Anyway, those nice Steve Maddens? They've fallen apart. The leather on the outside edge of BOTH shoes has detached from the sole--looking like it's been ripped, not just popped.

So, in eighteen months, I've gone through three pairs of not-cheap shoes. I just want a pair that won't fall apart that fast. I really don't know where to go here.

Am I underpricing my shoes? I really don't have the ability to drop $2-300 on shoes. I need to eat, after all. What can I do?

(Pertinent Info: I'm a size 11, and normal-ish width. I manage to wear Chuck Taylors, which run narrow, with no discomfort or falling-apart issues. I've had my two pairs of Chucks for over a year.)

sydney cost of living

neworder7 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:24:25 -0800

CostOfLivingFilter in Sydney: I am 35 year old, professional in Sydney with a salary around AU$100K. I have no dependents, leading a normal modest life with no extravagant expenses. Why do I still feel the life is out of my reach? I am 35 and I think I am old enough to settle, stop living like a student. Maybe buy a property. I know mine is not a huge salary and I also think it is not very little either for a single person. I realized it seems that it does not look possible to buy a decent house/apartment closer to city without having to go "out west". Also, saving for a deposit is very hard while paying a rent even for an average place in the city.

I am not originally from Australia, been here for couple of years only, so please help me realize where I am placed financially in this society?

Thank you

Is there any way to estimate what a car & car insurance would cost me if I moved to San Francisco?

scazza — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:16:16 -0800

What are ways to estimate what a car and car insurance would cost me if I moved to San Francisco? I'm looking for what it would cost to have a reasonable, eco-friendly (not necessarily a hybrid, probably not a hybrid) car for 2 people in San Francisco. Something like a hatchback that's 1-2 years old. I live in NYC now so I have no idea how to go about estimating insurance and car loan payments. Resources? Thanks!

(There is a question about this from 2005, but I think things may have changed by now.)

Bit watt-hours?

mr.dan — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:46:11 -0800

In terms of energy usage, how much would you estimate that it costs for a bit to travel over the internet? Obviously you are going to have to make some pretty liberal assumptions such as distance, nodes traveled, equipment used. Please do not submit a response saying that it is impossible. Make your best guess using as little or as much data as possible!

I have always wondered how spam impacts energy usage. I also suspect that the cost may be fairly fixed (ie it doesn't matter how many bits sent, if the equipment is on, it's on), but I don't know enough about internet infrastructure to make a good guess.

How much does it typically cost for a good logo and front page for a web application?

tomargue — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:13:25 -0800

Okay, I'm designing a web application with a minimalist look-and-feel. I want a simple, clean, cute logo, and a simple, clean, cute front page. What's a ball-park figure as to what this may cost? A little more detail as to what I'm thinking of...

I'd like the front page to have about maybe 4 main ideas, and when hovering over each idea, more information about the web-application is displayed. However, this idea may change when I start talking to a graphic/web designer about effective front pages. And it may change depending on how much it all costs.

Obviously the price is going to change dependent on my requirements, but at the moment, I don't know whether this is going to cost me $100, $1000 or $10,000. What's an order of magnitude estimate of what it may cost?

[HealthFilter] How much does the average no complication birth cost?

gnash — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:59:17 -0800

Had a beautiful baby girl a few months ago. Previous baby due to excellent insurance cost exactly $0. This baby, with crappy Aetna insurance close to $4k. This is after deductible, and using a doctor that was non-preferred (which we paid more for) I am still puzzled how I ended up getting charged this much. Anyway I got to thinking. Why is my out of pocket cost $4k for a birth with no complications? Why is the total cost for this birth $17 - $18k? Some detail:
Pomosin (sp?)
Epidural
Misc pain killers
2 nights stay post birth
4 - 5 hours labor @ hospital, less than an hour for the "all hands operation"
Cord blood draw

My question - what was the total cost for YOUR kiddo's birth (or your friends)? Is this really what it costs nowadays for what is, for the most part, an incredibly routine procedure?

Shenzhen cost of living

comatose — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 07:32:49 -0800

Shenzhen, China cost of living questions. I have been doing research on the possibility of accepting a job offer in Shenzhen, China and I am being asked by my potential employer what I think a fair salary would be for a college graduate in the architecture field.

I have read plenty of expat/travel forums on living expenses (people claim it to be a rather expensive city) in SZ but they are not very detailed, nor are they in agreement with each other. I read that for a furnished 2 bedroom place in a nice part of town can run from 1800 to 8000 rmb a month. By comparison to my current expenses in the USA this site makes SZ seem somewhat cheap. I've read that 15,000 rmb a month is a perfectly adequate, if not a good wage for a nice place and some decent pocket money. In another forum people agree that 30,000 rmb a month is a fairly good wage.

I need to come back to him with a number that can cover a 1 bedroom furnished apartment in an undoubtedly nice part of town, $400 USD per month in loans, taxes, transportation, health care, living expenses, and entertainment, plus a fair amount of money for personal savings. This is an entry level position and I don't want to be unreasonably high and by no means am I going to leave everything here for a salary that is not going to give me at least the basics of a comfortable lifestyle. Comfortable = Adequately accommodating basic living needs in a nice safe area, basic food, basic entertainment, money to save and money to spend for a 25 year old guy. You know, a good 'entry level' position salary. For comparison sake: I would expect a salary of $44,000 in Boston or $39,000 in Cincinnati to cover my expenses/financial goals/personal needs... so what would be a comparable salary in Shenzhen?

Cheapest way from Tokyo to Kumamoto?

0bvious — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:09:56 -0800

Last minute Japan travel: after making an error with timing I need to arrange one-way travel from Tokyo to Kumamoto quite quickly. What are the cheapest options? I have looked into flights and trains (for the 17th of August) and both seem expensive (about £200-£250 a ticket). I am in the UK at the moment. Would it be worth waiting until we arrive in Japan? Perhaps trying to get last minute flights at the airport? Information on this site suggests cheap train travel, but has no links to buy: frommers.com

Air travel is looking pricey: farecompare.com or skyscanner.net

Is it possible to book overnight traisn from the UK? what re the other cheap-cheap train options?

Any help or advice you have would be much appreciated

Truck battery cost

Kam1761 — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:30:17 -0800

My 18 year old son went to Express Oil Change to have a new battery put in his 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. His battery was dead and when jumped off, it would not hold a charge. They put an MTP-65 Interstate battery in and charged him $146 for the battery alone. With installation, charging system testing fee, and taxes, the total cost was $208.93. Does that sound high? I was expecting to pay half of that.

I've got the money what do I get?

Rubbstone — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:53:32 -0800

How long do you think a ~$8000 car will last? So I have about ~8000 to spend on a car including tax and title. How long do you think a car like that will last will it out live the length of my 24-36 month loan on it . If you had that amount of money were looking for a reliable vehicle, Automatic(I don't know how to drive stick), with ABS. Additionally how much milage is too much as a general rule ? How old is too old for a car? Also Should I go out of state if the prices in my state are high?

Covering the basics and some

booksandwine — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:29:21 -0800

How much do you have to make to in order to have a "basic" living? Secondary question if you don't mind sharing: Where do you live? Bonus question: How much do you feel like you have to make in order to have a "comfortable" living and wouldn't have to worry about personal finances? Average Household Income in California is $55K and $68K here in Los Angeles. As I do the math, it strikes me that that is probably just enough to cover basics* in LA ($1500-2000 per month easily just for rent, food is expensive, taxes are high and you pretty much have to have a car).

I recognize I can easily look up average cost of living and average income for pretty much anywhere in the world, but what I want to know is subjectively, at what level do you feel you would have the basics covered? I am a single person living in Los Angeles, no kids, and I think about $55K*

I know the answer to the bonus question will vary even more greatly (hence the quotation marks in the question) and any details you are willing to share would be appreciated! Just me: ideally, I would like to go to grad school, eventually own a house and have kids. Assuming I stagger these three big expenses somehow, I feel like doubling the $55K and making $110K a year would be enough so that one could cover basics as well as save toward these goals and have somewhat of a cushion. At $150K a year in Los Angeles, I would feel comfortable tackling two of these goals at once. If I added my significant other's income, we could probably handle all three at once (we're just talking money here, not sleep or sanity).

Not asking anyone to divulge salary / expense info, just want your opinion. If all you want to answer is $55K / Los Angeles / $110K, that would go a long way toward satisfying my curiosity. I am especially curious to see what the European mefites say -- this is a great point of debate between myself and my SO. Thanks!

*Assuming 30% tax, that's about $42K after tax. And assuming monthly rent $1500 + food/groceries $500 + utilities $200 + car/misc/other $500 = $2700 / mo x 12 = $42K / yr. Angelenos, please forgive my very rough estimate.

How much does it cost to fix a doorknob-sized hole in drywall?

buriednexttoyou — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:30:48 -0800

Doorknob went through the drywall. How much should this cost to repair? We live in an apartment in the suburbs of Chicago. There was no doorstop to keep the doorknob from going through the wall, so now there is a doorknob-sized hole in the drywall. We are moving out at the end of the month. How much should it cost to repair? Should we let the landlord fix it with the money from the deposit, should we hire someone to fix it, or should we try to do it ourselves?

Should this be a do-it-yourself job?

shesaysgo — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:48:21 -0800

I'm moving out of my apartment, and my walls need to return to thermostat. I moved into this apartment a year ago, and immediately knew something needed to be done about the color on the walls, which we have dubbed 'thermostat'. Right now, my living room is robin's egg blue and an accent wall of teal. My kitchen/dining room is "cantaloupe smile". As said in our lease, the walls have to return to their previous color. We can either do it ourselves, or have it done through the management by an independent company, and then pay the management.

Whether or not we paint the apartment back depends on one thing: money. I have the time, nor do I mind doing it myself. I would just like to know how much it usually runs for the management to paint back the apartment. Any ideas?

Please help me figure out what to charge for video segments

bryanjbusch — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:09:10 -0800

I have an opportunity to create some short (say, less than 5 minutes) video segments for a popular, ad-revenue-generating blog. How can I figure out how much to charge for each one? Some things I've thought of:

Charge a flat fee per video, whether it's used or not, whether it's popular or not

Charge a flat fee and get a bonus for each time it's played

Charge a fee only for each time it's played

Charge for the video creation, but based more on my time and effort, not just a flat fee

Charge a fee based on the length of the video

I have no idea what a flat fee or bonus fee looks like. Help?

Other considerations that probably shouldn't be influencing my decision:

the blog's owner is an old friend of mine

I really want to be getting in the habit of creating videos like this

the blog's owner publicly posts the revenue generated from the blog, so I could base my decision partially on how much he can afford

How much is a 5-year-old oboe worth?

feelinggood — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:37:33 -0800

How much can I expect to get for a used oboe? (Details inside.) Details: a Yamaha "student" oboe (it's missing a key [by design] to make it easier to play, I think). We bought it for $1800 Canadian about 5 years ago. We are selling it in Toronto, although I wouldn't want to limit answers to people from Toronto.
How much can I reasonably expect in a private sale - not a negotiating price, but a real final sale price? Assume very good to excellent condition with regular maintenance.

Cost to dealier of new car. Cost to pay?

If only I had a penguin... — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:46:41 -0800

How much does a Chevy Uplander cost the dealer and how much should my mom pay fin Toronto today? My mom wants to buy a Chevy Uplander. Today. I know..I know...I know there are web sites that tell you how much a car costs the dealer but I can't find any that work for Canada. Do you know of one?

And how much is a reasonable mark-up for the dealer?

Any other tips on getting the best deal?

p.s. We know nothing about cars and my mom buys one every 12 years or so. I've never owned a car and hope I never do.

how much will a large dog cost per year

sponge — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:13:32 -0800

How much does it cost annually to keep a large-ish (50 - 80lb) dog? I'll be looking for a dog of a breed that is not known for health issues

I plan to feed it a healthy diet (but not steak).

I'd be grateful for any level of information about your experiences, and all types of costs.

Peak vs Off Peak Electricity Hours

Black_Umbrella — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 12:10:10 -0800

How much can I save by using off peak electricity in the US? How does this compare to those in Europe? I realize that not many utilities in the states offer off peak hours but i know some do. What percent do some of you save by using this option?

My google fu has failed and i am only getting really skimpy results.

Can anyone find the how much free energy we are loosing (hydro/wind/thermal) because it is being produced but not used?

I'm having a financial existentialist crisis

MrMulan — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:36:19 -0800

Have I been wrong on my financial core beliefs? I have had a worldview when comes to finances for over 15 years that I am now questioning.

1. I believed 8-12% return on your money over the long term was reasonable, conservative, and realistic.
2. I believed in No-load mutual funds.
3. I believed in dollar cost averaging.
4. I believed Technical Analysis does not work.
5. I believed in A Random Walk Down Wall Street.

First there was this segment from NPR(of all places!) that blew my mind: Technical Analysis actually works (at least for oil)
Then this article from Slate on Suzy Orman. The article disses No-load, and Dollar-Cost Averaging without any references.

Was NPR sinking to a major network level of reporting? Or does TA really work?
What is the mounting evidence against No-loads as part of a passive, long term strategy?

There is no other choice for me but to be an optimist for the long term health and prosperity of our country and by proxy, the stock market. Else, the best thing to do would be to stock up and canned food and guns, and that really isn't a nice way for me to live.
Why then is Dollar-cost averaging bad, if you are doing it in mutual funds, and doing it for the long term?

There are many books out know calling into question A Random Walk Down Wall Street. Is there any truth to them?

Somewhere new

brandnew — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:42:27 -0800

I would like to travel more this year. Where should I go to best balance cost and experience? The NYTimes published an article recently about the 44 best places to travel this year. I became discouraged after reading the article because most of those places were expensive. $400 (US) a night for a hotel room is way outside of my budget.

Assuming that transportation to get there is free, what would be the best low-cost travel destinations this year?

I'm up for anything, but I particularly enjoy
* Art
* Culture
* New experiences
* Options to meet and converse with new people
* Nature
* Time for reflection

More info: I don't travel much outside of the USA, but I would like to. My two favorite cities in the USA are NYC and San Diego, but I'd like to consider places with less population, as well.

I'm Not Going To Pay A Lot For This Video!

Mister_A — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:52:19 -0800

Calling all East Coast video production pros! Price check. My company has done a ton of video work, but usually fairly elaborate shoots where we work through a producer to get everything done. Now we're doing a very small-scale, one-day local (Philly area) indoor location shoot with a DP that we know and love. I want to get a baseline on what everything ought to cost. I have some numbers from old estimates and things from production companies we've used, but I want to see what the raw costs are (I assume they marked things up).

Here's what I'm looking for:
DP - 1 day PLUS 1/2 day pre-pro
HD cam + stock (not sure what kind we're using just yet)
Sound - 1 day
Lighting - 1 day
Makeup - 1 day

Please give me costs for associated equipment in cases where it is customary to charge, or where it's something that has to be rented. Just looking for ballpark costs here, I'm not going to hold you to any of this.

I'm pretty solid on post, but if any freelance editors want to weigh in with usual rates, BONUS POINTS!!!

PS Don't worry about talent.

Thanks hive mind!