Global Shopping

Updated: January 06, 2011

Your dollar is falling! No, it didn't fall out of your pocket (made you look), but it is getting weaker in relation to other currencies around the world as the price of commodities like cotton, corn and sugar increase.

In 2002, $0.86 would have gotten you one Euro on the other side of the pond. Today, the exchange rate is $1.32 for one Euro, which means the value of the U.S. dollar is less and you'll spend a lot more money on your vacation in Europe than you would have before.

You'd have to go back at least a decade to find a time when the U.S. dollar was so weak. Against the Canadian dollar (the "loonie"), you'd have to go back 30 years. That's why Canadians are spending more money in the U.S. -- their money is worth more in comparison

How far would your dollar go in Paris, France or Tokyo, Japan? What about Bangkok, Thailand? Jet set with us as we travel around the globe to shop for the same items in four different cities as we compare prices.