Life in Dili, economically anyway, is a little skewed.
A can of Coke costs about US$0.60 (ZAR4.20) in the supermarket and US$1.50 (ZAR10,50) in a restaurant/cafe. I've paid US$6.50 (ZAR42.00) for a kebab wrap at the Turkish restaurant I gushed on about before and US10.00 (ZAR70.00) for breakfast at the 4-star Hotel Timor. Two nights ago a small pizza at an Australian-owned bar cost me US$6.00 (ZAR42) while a large would have set me back US$12.00 (ZAR85)!! It made me wish for Debonairs' variety. On the other hand I have also been able to get a fish curry on seafood fried rice for about US$4.00 (ZAR28.00).
Electronic goods are either on par or even slightly more expensive than what I would pay back home. Although the variety is wider here I suspect.
DVDs are cheap. At US$1.00 - 1.50 (ZAR 7.00-10.00) each, I have augmented my collection considerably. Everything from the latest box-office releases to some classics and a whole bunch of art movies are on offer. It's also a good way to while away the time after hours when you are stuck in your airconditioned container behind a high fence and army patrols on the street.
However, accomodation costs are just laughable. My driver admitted to paying about US$30 (ZAR210) a month in rent for his house. I'm paying US$30.00 (ZAR210) per day!!! For my little cubicle!! Do the math over 28 days.....
But that is a function of the artificial UN economy at play at the moment. Because of the number of internationals on this little island, waving UN dollars, the cost of everything has gone up. Last time I was here I looked sufficiently Timorese that I could pay the local rate for lunch (US$1.20) ... until I opened my mouth... Then the price trebled.
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