I was in Riga a few weeks ago, loved the market, we stayed in an apartment close to where you looked at the studio, I’m definitely going again, the people are so friendly and welcoming, great video and very informative
I was in Riga last winter for one week over the New Years time. I enjoyed the experience while there. I am looking forward to discovering more about the Baltics as time permits in the future.
Used to be very cheap market not so today . Perhaps ashamed of own greed in selling food they want camera stopped .Another way of seeing Latvian theory
I grew up going to this market, when it was USSR still. It was always cheaper than the stores and most of the time, higher quality. I miss Riga very much, thank you for posting
Oh, mate, I'm at 3:25, and you've been lucky to experience the authentic slavic hospitality, courtesy of a couple "market hags" (tried translating _bazarnaya baba_ literally, I reckon it's called _fishwife_ in English)! I've been living here almost since I was a toddler, and this is very often the kind of attitude you get when dealing with local elderly Russophones -- they get rude and abrasive really fast unless you're a paying customer. That said, Russian is my mother tongue, but I'm avoiding to use it in communication with any vendors exactly because of this issue. At least when talking in Latvian, they aren't as agile with their responses since they often don't know the language :) UPD: By the way, Ādažu crisps were a lot cheaper before 2022. But because a lot of cheaper sunflower oil was imported from Ukraine, that had a huge effect on the price
Interesting ! I am thinking of travelling in an eastern country part of the european union for a couple of months. I am french and looking for a full immersion to kick start learning russian… Do you think Riga can be the right place for this? Or may be another big city with a bigger russian speaking population ? It seems young people speak good english so I won’t have too much problem to communicate but russian is the language I want to practice. There is also Moldavia where they have a russian speaking population and Transnistria would be also good but it is probably a military zone and with the war un ukrain not the best plan may be. Anyway if you have a couple of minute to advise me that would be very much appreciated !
Не путайте «славянское гостеприимство» с советским, мы хоть и не такие, может, гостеприимные как кавказцы, но обычно хорошо относимся к любым людям. А это просто базарные бабы , не надо их путать с нормальными людьми
@@lerecklessbadger2411You are welcome to come, learn something about Latvian and our language. Russian is not something to learn here. We know it because of our painful past and occupations. We want to get rid of any kind of rude babushka legacy like in this video.
@@ElvisBurdajs It is mad from my perspective but I respect yours. Many people on earth are bilingual and I am sure you are all for learning english (obviously you speak that language). No doubt colonizers were bad but it’s like a woman who get rape and has to live with the child after… Or do you want to kill that heritage? How stupid is that (from my perspective)… As if the Russian people were guilty… as if their culture is toxic… And suddenly you want to be American en europeens? And may be if tomorrow the cultural hegemony of the west is falling you might want to go back to Russian? From my perspective as a French who love Russian litterature and speak several languages I don’t understand this hostile attitude and see It as a political stance… How raciste against the Russian minorities.
GENIUS set up in the supermarket with the stealth filming and audio. You are going to have a heart attack when you see the prices in Australia....... Keep up the good work J!
birch sap fermented with raisins and lemon and bit of black currant leaves for winter is the best homemade naturally carbonated sprite out there !! my dad makes them for every winter
I really don’t understand why some businesses don’t like cameras. If I was the owner and saw someone filming and talking, I would invite them to my business and show the products. You get free marketing and also you may get new business contacts as well. When opportunity is there, grab it.
It's easy to judge when you're watching this video, but you'd understand if you layed out all the options and actually took the time to understand why. They don't know what will you do with that footage. For all they know you're from a competitor. They're being cautious. Malicious people exist and simply because you'd say you're a youtuber or something means fuck all to these people. Opportunity? What opportunity? A small youtuber showing a small place to a small audience most of whom are not local or in the age demigraphic of people actually watching youtube? This isn't U.S where a random idiot showered with attention has a chance of getting anything, the mentality of people in Eastern Europe is different especially the older generation.
Its got nothing to do with rudeness or money. I live in Riga and know from experience that the market people don't mind at all if you photograph the goods. But they don't like people taking pics of them without permission. Not everyone wants their face all over the internet. That's their right and should be respected.
I'm curious what the secret of Latvian potatoes is. I live in a Western part of Poland called Greater Poland, which has the unofficial name "Land of Underground Orange", and we have always been conscientious of our potatoes, but a guy from Riga who worked for us for several years always said that they are just a pale shadow of Latvian potatoes. :D
Latvian here: Not from the patriotic side, but from a traveler's side - I have no clue what our farmers have done, but potatoes named Laura are pure gold, I've been all over Europe and lived in UK, France, and Spain. But you can't find potatoes even close like Laura, this thing is just on a different potato level
Watching from Australia. Prices are crazy cheap, compared to prices in Aus. I already loved Riga, now there is a reason to love it more. Hope to visit again soon.
@@lilysl3797 I'm sure it isn't cheap for Latvians living in Riga. I was merely commenting on the prices of goods and saying that they were much cheaper than in Australia. People earning $80,000 per year in Aus are struggling! Everything here is ridiculously expensive.
@@JulieDixon-u5u I agree with you Julie, the issue is here that even for $15 aud for a kilo of tomatoes 🍅 current prices it will still be no taste, no smell… but yes with mortgage, couple kids, life is very tough everywhere at the moment, however, geographic arbitrage still works well, and for many, who have to die at work basically, to be able to afford cost of living living in western world, maybe it is time to reassess and say we can reasonably live well in another place, Justin with his embrace of other cultures, languages and people is a perfect example of that. Provided, you are respectful of course…I am planning to visit Riga next year around summer months, (not yet ready to retire) if you are in Riga would love to catch up.
Prices are low for foreigners. In Latvia there are not so big salaries. And btw it is not actually true prices in the market are lower than in the stores.
Nice to meet your channel. I wanted to get a good preliminary sense of Latvia and your video did a good job. You offer an enthusiastic, clear and "just-the-facts" type of style, which I find keeps interest up. Thank you!
This seems to be a very interesting place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much! And please keep up the great job! Subscribed!!
Hello Justin, thank you very much for puting in the time and energy to make this extremely useful video for all who are planing to visit Latvia--Riga. Also learned a great technique for filming in the store by placing the camera in the shopping cart and then pretending to speak into your mobile while you mention the prices. Amazing way to beat the system. I know you did not like the Flat you visited in the center, how about showing few flats away from the center with better prices. Hey, another idea for you, I was wondering how do you travel between all these countries, Latvia, Georgia Poland etc. Make a video about the airlines you use and how do you buy airline tickets and prices etc.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad to hear that you found the video informative. It's always my goal to provide valuable and helpful content to my viewers. If you have any specific topics or questions you'd like me to cover in future videos, feel free to let me know. Thanks again for your support!
Hi Lalit, I am happy you found the content useful. Always a pleasure to meet the people who support my work, so if you like go to my website www.justineasterneurope.com and stay in touch, which is easier than on youtube comments. All the best and thank you for watching
Birtch tree sap is basically the same aour maple trees which we boil the sap to make our maple products. Maple as well when it starts to bloom it's season's over. Ah man I gotta try this one day !!! Not sure if in Quebec(Canada where I live) we do have such thing.
One year I visited, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland at the end of October when prices are really low during the off-season. I stayed in basic hotel rooms that included breakfast, but the hotel in Helsinki was more than twice the price of Riga and Tallinn.
LOL. I live in Helsinki and the food prices here are just the same or even CHEAPER in many cases than what is shown here. The only thing here that is more expensive is alcohol and rental prices which are around 3-4 times higher than in Riga. Finland WAS more expensive than Latvia 15-20 years ago, but the world has changed and the old doesn't exist anymore.
@@maga-hat709 I would have to disagree. Clothes and stuff like that are pretty much the same prize in Finland and Latvia but look at food or drinks. For example, I bought Coca cola there. In Finland one 0.5l bottle costs around 2.45 euros when in Latvia its like around 1.50 euros. Same goes with many many or most other things. Good for you if you really can buy food even cheaper than in Latvia.
@@riproar11 Do you even know how economy works? You realize that people in Latvia earn 2-3x less than in Finland yet ur here sitting and comparing Finland with Latvia, lmao. Why did you stop on Finland, could have compared Norway with Zimbabwe and say that prices in Zimbabwe are very affordable and that everyone are wealthy.
My grandfather on my fathers side was Latvian and fought in WWII. I am very proud of him and now get to live the life I have in Australia because of this man. A great vid and love the insight into what it may be like to visit or stay one day.
Ah but which side did he fight on. Many in Latvia joined Hitler and many Russia some fought from forests as hard as they could shoot and run before capture to fire again .Im an English Historian finding the truth of what happened behind Stalins Iron curtain as Churchill called the Baltic .Horrific torture and enslavement Baltic peoples .Evil like you cannot imagine happened here . I have served in battle for England and still am shocked at what records give me of deaths in the corn fields of lack of food . Women children under armed guard providing food for Moscow .Found stealing peas from fields shot dead from five years of age to 90 . Russians are hated in Latvia Estonia Lithuania and Poland for brutal evil on public
you have to remember that prices in supermarkets in western europe also got 20-50% more expensive. for example I live in the Netherlands. Single room rent of 10m2 has gone op from 300 euros a month to 800.
most of the product are priced in European market. if you can sell it for more in WEurope farmers will sell it there. so the prices are not that different even if salaries are 2.5 - 3 times higher in WEurope. also the market is small so they have to add premium, you will have higher prices in Baltics compared to Poland even if income is similar
I was surprised to see the prices at the supermarket. They are almost as high as where I live in United States America! They're only maybe around 15 % more reasonable than America. I thought food would be much more reasonable than the United States but I guess not . The apartments are way more reasonable than America 70% cheeper but not much savings on the food .
Hi and thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, prices across Eastern Europe have gone up dramatically and the difference is narrowing every time I travel. Even real estate prices have gone up substantially but the prices in the US have always been astronomical therefore the difference still seems quite substantial. All the best my friends 👍
@@J.E.E they were almost half the price 3 years ago vs what they are today,some things even triple, living in latvia has gone up a lot in last few years, btw sry for my broken english
Justin, big fan. I have a feeling your not enjoying the content creation. Going around supermarkets on your mobile doesn't seem like fun, just seems like your filling a small Internet niche. I loved your videos where you had fun, went on an adventure, spoke to locals, went for a night out, flirted with the hotties. Remember in your own words, enjoy your journey.
them cucucumbers expensive cause it was off season for cucumbers. they are grown in green houses in offseason thats why they are expensive. in summer when its season she already said they cost like 50 cents per kilo
Heh, when you said, Valmiermuiža is your fav latvian beer, you should come to valmiera, and go to their brewery tour. You will be able to taste the best beer in your life, straight from the brewing tank, or filtering machine, before it has been ruined by oxygen gettin to it. :) Before i became a welder, worked there for a while. Tours arent that expensive, and you get to test beer out straight from brewing tanks.
I love the market in Riga, but the market in Liepaja is even better. It is also divided in an indoor and outdoor part, with amazing products from the Courland region of the country. I am sure you have been there as you have lived in Latvia for a while now.
€5 for a kilo of tomatoes? Are you f*cking kidding me? That's even more than here in Northern Norway, where we get everything transported from the Netherlands and Belgium!
Imlife us fetting pricey everyday brother! I was shock by prices back in italy...but at least the quality is superior! Love me some ossobuco with peas and rice..😊
What century you was work? Maybe you ar zero in IT? P.S. IT is one of best payed job, if you have adequate skill your salary will be 2000-3000 after tax.
Its now 670 but tax goes on wage brings it down to say 500 48 hour week for each month at 500 e when rent for one bedroom flat is 480-1000 a month in central city even more .i AM English pensioner having built my own house and 5 acre gardens before EU took control .Loads of English over here have done same
@@J.E.E haha if you wanna make a youtube short, then yeah - go for it! It's a tiny farmers market compared to the one in Riga. (It's open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7AM-2PM, and it's near Polyclinic, yes!) But Tukums is a beautiful city nevertheless. You should have come 3 weeks ago when it was the Rose Festival in Tukums, we were celebrating 735 years! Rose Festival happens every other year, so you should definitely come in July 2025! There is so much to see and do during that time.
yes tukums is great, also durbes palace there is very nice with its surrondings. Tukums is a very historic place because a lot of preserved old houses there give off a historic vibe, great architecture. riga also has kalnciems weekend market, perhaps similar in size to the one in tukums and its great@@SantaSmiles
I live in Thailand on a diet that consists of at least 75% fresh fruit, which is dead cheap here and of the finest quality in the world. In fact, I grow far more papayas and mangoes on my own property than I can possibly eat, so I end up giving a lot of them away. Bottom-line, I hope to visit Latvia someday but I'll stick with being an expat here in Thailand.
daugavpils has a well preserved historical center around the theater and the 4 church area. however tragic history like elsewhere in latvia becaause of the war. there were 40 or more synagogues in daugavpils before the holocaust but now only a few of those remain, i think they are open as museums now or still may be a functionin synagogue
Salut Justin ! J’ai compris que tu parlais français alors parlons français 😅 Je pars vivre à Riga à la fin de l’année, alors merci pour tes vidéos ! Ça me permet de bien me préparer. Aussi, as-tu fait une vidéo qui parle un peu de ce que tu fais en général, ton background etc. Ce serait intéressant de savoir ce qui t’amène à voyager autant ! Et à parler autant de langue. Bye bye
Our country (Latvia), government, doesn't do jack sh** about taxes anywhere, and opposition is fighting for such things because of economical and energetical issues caused by EU to drop the Russian gas import for energy, and they are fighting to help the regulars to breathe a little, because in winter it might be very cold as the gas reserves are depleting. Heating up homes might double if not triple the price this winter. We have to wait and see how things will move in politics, maybe coalition (leading parties) will finally get their brains straight and do something, lower tax for products or energy, or something. About butter, in supermarket you can get average butter for ~1.20Eur 200g. Butter is butter if the fat consistency is 82% and no additives are there. Buying more expensive butter, like 200g @ near 2 Euro mark, is no different or healthier, or tastier than the ones for less. It has the same texture, the same feel, the same butter taste. If you put it on the bread, there's no difference between them. Regarding driving, taxiing, then I have to recommend, in case you have a drivers license and you know how to drive, then I would suggest getting applications on your phone like Bolt (there is a Bolt Drive section), Carguru, and City Bee. Those are like rental cars, but you can quickly rent them through application, you just need your drivers license pictures and your face when registering an account. It's actually really fast and easy to set up, and then you find closest car near you, or cheapest one to drive per minute, and you can take it for a drive. It's cheaper than taxi if you plan to drive from airport to center or suburbs, and vice versa. Taxi can get 2x expensive of the cost.
Latvia price wise is up there with countries like Belgium, France and others but unfortunately average salary is way below the average of the countries mentioned before. Beautiful country but not for the low to mid class earning people.
As a Scandinavian I came to work in Riga at a bank (2022), I made about 900 Euro after taxes... (1500 before tax) Then bare in mind that most Latvians make less than I made for the same job to be precise I actually had a 500 Euro monthly bonus for knowing an other language besides English. I had to pay about 650-700 euro a month for my first apartment that was 2 rooms (500+gas+electric+water). I paid initially 1500 Euro with all fees and the first month rent. This was an apartment in the center of Riga. I later shared a studio apartment with a friend, the cost would drop to about 400 each on the apartment.. Imagine that we Scandinavians and other outside workers that comes has a higher salary than avarage Latvians in the same work... Then a fair picture can be taken.. Is 1.45 Euro a milk expensive? Yes... If you only have 200 - 450 Euro after paying for housing and taxes... Then yes... It is expensive.. 1 Month travel card for the trains 30 Euro. A lunch at work 5 Euro.. A pack of cigarettes 5 Euro. Lets say I work 20 days okey... that is 5 Euro lunch 20 days a month... that´s 100 Euro... If I made food at home and took with me to work most likely someone would steal the food and I would have to go buy lunch anyways.. (yes my Scandinavian co-workers stole eachothers food) Oh yeah.. and the Russians there makes even less... Making it very very hard to survive. Very good people though, very racist against the 30 percent Russian population, but all in all good people. Except that with a lot of poverty a lot of crime come along..
The taxes for locals are lower, as there is a specified amount of non taxable part of the salary, so for a local 1500 brutto would be aroun 1150 EUR, but for a foreigner yes - 900 sounds rights.
Bankā strādajāt? Ko tik maz saņēmāt? Pārdevējs veikalā saņem vairāk. Mana radiniece 1200 EUR uz rokas veikala saņem. Protams tā nav Maxima. Visa visumā jums klišejiska pieeja.
I could say prices in Latvia are pretty high comparing with their salaries. Some prices are very good comparing with prices with Germany or Belgium, for example - in meat and fish. Meat and fish is expensive in Europe. Milk product prices are extremely expensive in Latvia comparing with Europe countries Aldi or Lidl prices. But what is the main difference from food in Latvia and from food in West Europe is TASTE. Latvia's meat taste as a meat, tomatoes taste is extremely good compared to their tasteless vegetables. When you put dills in the fridge whole fridge smells so dilly, in West dills have no smell. Etc. Taste and smell in Latvia's products are natural and good. Netherlands is very proud of their scientific approach to growing vegetables by growing vegetables without soil in huge greenhouses. Yes, they grow beautiful and intact, but they have no taste, no smell, and are highly chemicalized. Maybe that is why we have cancer explosion in last decades....
@@mikaelnilsson7313 Exactly! I know prices in Europe very good and know what I am talking about. In my opinion most expensive country in Europe is Iceland. Then come Scandinavian countries and Switzerland. Then Belgium and so...
Big diifrence between Scandinavian Sweden is a lot cheaper then Denmark and Norway go to a shopping center in south Sweden and there will be 50% Danes. @@rosesummer1151
Hello everyone. I'm ready to start my university in Riga. But I don't know the country fully. Can someone tell me about it please.... thanks in advance.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 84 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องศึก vs เมืองไทย"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3kuzsAIDf1c/mqdefault.jpg)
4:00 How cool you stopped that woman dead on her tracks when she thought you didn't understand russian hahah
Justin is such a talent both at learning and behaving himself, the two most important skills... what an exceptional guy!
I was in Riga a few weeks ago, loved the market, we stayed in an apartment close to where you looked at the studio, I’m definitely going again, the people are so friendly and welcoming, great video and very informative
Hi my friend, i am glad you enjoyed your stay in Riga, it is an amazing city!! 😃👍 Thank you so much for watching and commenting!!
I was in Riga last winter for one week over the New Years time. I enjoyed the experience while there. I am looking forward to discovering more about the Baltics as time permits in the future.
@@davidpolott1250 was lovely having you here mate and look forward to seeing you again👍
Used to be very cheap market not so today . Perhaps ashamed of own greed in selling food they want camera stopped .Another way of seeing Latvian theory
I grew up going to this market, when it was USSR still. It was always cheaper than the stores and most of the time, higher quality. I miss Riga very much, thank you for posting
I am so happy you enjoyed the video.
I love markets and the Riga Central Market is an amazing place.
All the best my friend 👌👍
I love Latvia, my girlfriend is from Liepaja in Latvia, so we are there every summer, greatings from Norway ❤❤
Thanks for sharing, i really appreciate it!! 👍😃
Greetings Norway . Last year over there had a good time thanks .I live now in Latvia far north
Oh, mate, I'm at 3:25, and you've been lucky to experience the authentic slavic hospitality, courtesy of a couple "market hags" (tried translating _bazarnaya baba_ literally, I reckon it's called _fishwife_ in English)! I've been living here almost since I was a toddler, and this is very often the kind of attitude you get when dealing with local elderly Russophones -- they get rude and abrasive really fast unless you're a paying customer. That said, Russian is my mother tongue, but I'm avoiding to use it in communication with any vendors exactly because of this issue. At least when talking in Latvian, they aren't as agile with their responses since they often don't know the language :)
UPD: By the way, Ādažu crisps were a lot cheaper before 2022. But because a lot of cheaper sunflower oil was imported from Ukraine, that had a huge effect on the price
Oh, here comes a real piece of sh... not a man talking...
Interesting ! I am thinking of travelling in an eastern country part of the european union for a couple of months. I am french and looking for a full immersion to kick start learning russian… Do you think Riga can be the right place for this? Or may be another big city with a bigger russian speaking population ? It seems young people speak good english so I won’t have too much problem to communicate but russian is the language I want to practice. There is also Moldavia where they have a russian speaking population and Transnistria would be also good but it is probably a military zone and with the war un ukrain not the best plan may be.
Anyway if you have a couple of minute to advise me that would be very much appreciated !
Не путайте «славянское гостеприимство» с советским, мы хоть и не такие, может, гостеприимные как кавказцы, но обычно хорошо относимся к любым людям. А это просто базарные бабы , не надо их путать с нормальными людьми
@@lerecklessbadger2411You are welcome to come, learn something about Latvian and our language. Russian is not something to learn here. We know it because of our painful past and occupations. We want to get rid of any kind of rude babushka legacy like in this video.
@@ElvisBurdajs It is mad from my perspective but I respect yours. Many people on earth are bilingual and I am sure you are all for learning english (obviously you speak that language).
No doubt colonizers were bad but it’s like a woman who get rape and has to live with the child after… Or do you want to kill that heritage? How stupid is that (from my perspective)… As if the Russian people were guilty… as if their culture is toxic… And suddenly you want to be American en europeens? And may be if tomorrow the cultural hegemony of the west is falling you might want to go back to Russian?
From my perspective as a French who love Russian litterature and speak several languages I don’t understand this hostile attitude and see It as a political stance… How raciste against the Russian minorities.
GENIUS set up in the supermarket with the stealth filming and audio. You are going to have a heart attack when you see the prices in Australia....... Keep up the good work J!
birch sap fermented with raisins and lemon and bit of black currant leaves for winter is the best homemade naturally carbonated sprite out there !! my dad makes them for every winter
I loved it! Very thoughtful and helpful.
Thank you so much, I am so glad it was helpful! 👍🙂
I'm from Riga and I very rarely visit the market, you just sold it to me! Saturday morning imma go shopping
Hello mate, i hope you will enjoy it!! 😃👍 Thank you so much for watching!! 😃👍
Awesome video. I am planning to start a new business in Latvia. Your videos are very useful and informative. God bless you
Glad it was helpful! Best of luck 👍🙂
I really don’t understand why some businesses don’t like cameras. If I was the owner and saw someone filming and talking, I would invite them to my business and show the products. You get free marketing and also you may get new business contacts as well. When opportunity is there, grab it.
Agreed… thanks for watching my friend! 👍👌
the probably don't want to compete on price. information is power and if you have complete information you can make efficient decisions as a customer.
They are sort of a old fashioned homo- sovieticus peeps.
It's easy to judge when you're watching this video, but you'd understand if you layed out all the options and actually took the time to understand why.
They don't know what will you do with that footage. For all they know you're from a competitor.
They're being cautious. Malicious people exist and simply because you'd say you're a youtuber or something means fuck all to these people.
Opportunity? What opportunity? A small youtuber showing a small place to a small audience most of whom are not local or in the age demigraphic of people actually watching youtube?
This isn't U.S where a random idiot showered with attention has a chance of getting anything, the mentality of people in Eastern Europe is different especially the older generation.
Its got nothing to do with rudeness or money. I live in Riga and know from experience that the market people don't mind at all if you photograph the goods. But they don't like people taking pics of them without permission. Not everyone wants their face all over the internet. That's their right and should be respected.
I'm curious what the secret of Latvian potatoes is. I live in a Western part of Poland called Greater Poland, which has the unofficial name "Land of Underground Orange", and we have always been conscientious of our potatoes, but a guy from Riga who worked for us for several years always said that they are just a pale shadow of Latvian potatoes. :D
i think it might be our heavy full with clay ground, but just speculation by me
as a latvian I'm also curious they all are delicious even if I'm not hungry I'm still gonna eat it if I had a last meal it would be latvian potatos
@@RavinSooWild 😃👍
Latvian here: Not from the patriotic side, but from a traveler's side - I have no clue what our farmers have done, but potatoes named Laura are pure gold, I've been all over Europe and lived in UK, France, and Spain. But you can't find potatoes even close like Laura, this thing is just on a different potato level
@@pixelsalad I think I'll make a trip to Latvia. :)
Watching from Australia. Prices are crazy cheap, compared to prices in Aus. I already loved Riga, now there is a reason to love it more. Hope to visit again soon.
It aint cheep when the minimum wage is barely 520euros.. Now add the rent, public transport and groceries
@@lilysl3797 I'm sure it isn't cheap for Latvians living in Riga. I was merely commenting on the prices of goods and saying that they were much cheaper than in Australia. People earning $80,000 per year in Aus are struggling! Everything here is ridiculously expensive.
@@lilysl3797 Yeah but who makes minimum wage in Rīga?
@@JulieDixon-u5u I agree with you Julie, the issue is here that even for $15 aud for a kilo of tomatoes 🍅 current prices it will still be no taste, no smell… but yes with mortgage, couple kids, life is very tough everywhere at the moment, however, geographic arbitrage still works well, and for many, who have to die at work basically, to be able to afford cost of living living in western world, maybe it is time to reassess and say we can reasonably live well in another place, Justin with his embrace of other cultures, languages and people is a perfect example of that. Provided, you are respectful of course…I am planning to visit Riga next year around summer months, (not yet ready to retire) if you are in Riga would love to catch up.
Prices are low for foreigners. In Latvia there are not so big salaries. And btw it is not actually true prices in the market are lower than in the stores.
Great video as usual 👌.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting. 👍👌
Nice to meet your channel. I wanted to get a good preliminary sense of Latvia and your video did a good job. You offer an enthusiastic, clear and "just-the-facts" type of style, which I find keeps interest up. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for you feedback, i really appreciate it!! 👍😃
Loved watching the video. Very informative too
Glad you enjoyed it! 👍😃
Love Riga market. One of the best I've been too, second only to Alicante central market in my opinion. Makes me want to go back to Riga.
I agree it is an amazing place.
And a good reason to visit again👍
Alicante i used to go to for Tomato salads . Market here in Riga is far larger .
I lived in Riga for a few months this year and what he is saying is 100% true. And definitely try out the market it’s amazing!
Thanks for sharing, i really appreciate it!! 👍😃 I hope you are enjoying Riga as much as i am!!
Justin my man, I love your theme music now...! Another fine video my friend.... Greg
Hello mate, Thank you so much for your kind comments, i really appreciate it!👍👌
Such cool review, gives nice feel for the city, thank you for experience and info. Im latvian in Bristol right now working :D
More real English over here now UK IS BUGGERED
The prices of vegetables and greens will drop significantly in few months... You could make a comparison in July or so.
This seems to be a very interesting place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much! And please keep up the great job! Subscribed!!
Is the trout and salom in the market wild caught and not farmed? The supermarket fish was significantly cheaper?
This video was really informative. I'm thinking about going there next year :D
Super video my friend👍🏻 I’m looking to rent an Airbnb in Riga for three weeks so it’s been a big help to know where to go to get groceries 👍🏻✌🏻🤙🏻
Glad it was helpful! 👍🙂
Hello Justin, thank you very much for puting in the time and energy to make this extremely useful video for all who are planing to visit Latvia--Riga. Also learned a great technique for filming in the store by placing the camera in the shopping cart and then pretending to speak into your mobile while you mention the prices. Amazing way to beat the system.
I know you did not like the Flat you visited in the center, how about showing few flats away from the center with better prices.
Hey, another idea for you, I was wondering how do you travel between all these countries, Latvia, Georgia Poland etc. Make a video about the airlines you use and how do you buy airline tickets and prices etc.
Hey, thanks for the video, it was very helpful. I am considering moving to Ringa by end of year..
So glad it was helpful! 👍😃
Wonderful video JK
Thank you!👍👌
Nice to see you are back in Latvia. Take care. Göran living in Dobele
Great video!🤌
Glad you enjoyed it!! 😃👍 Thanks for watching and commenting!!
Love this video so informative
Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm really glad to hear that you found the video informative. It's always my goal to provide valuable and helpful content to my viewers. If you have any specific topics or questions you'd like me to cover in future videos, feel free to let me know. Thanks again for your support!
Grate video we wahced with plesure
Thank you ❤❤❤❤ best Riga videos that we have seen
Hello Zach,
So happy you enjoy the content and thank you so much for the kind words and support👍
❤
hey buddy you are doing a great job for the people like me who are going to study there i would really love to meet you in the month of September
Hi Lalit,
I am happy you found the content useful.
Always a pleasure to meet the people who support my work, so if you like go to my website www.justineasterneurope.com and stay in touch, which is easier than on youtube comments.
All the best and thank you for watching
Hi Justin! Nice to see you in Latvia. When will you visit Kuldiga?
Hi my friend, what a great idea - i will definitely visit Kuldīga soon, stay tuned!! 😃👍 thank you so much for watching and commenting !!
Just came across your channel. I'd love to visit Latvia.
Please do! You won't regret it!! 👍😃
Latvians are very nice people
Agreed… thanks for watching my friend! 👍👌
I am not
They’re not, though, are they, let’s be honest
Like any place some are lovely some not All the world has this divide
Birtch tree sap is basically the same aour maple trees which we boil the sap to make our maple products. Maple as well when it starts to bloom it's season's over. Ah man I gotta try this one day !!! Not sure if in Quebec(Canada where I live) we do have such thing.
Going to Jelgava this summer but will make a stop in Riga also 👍
This video was funny to watch because I visited the same food market on my vacation
Thanks for sharing, i really appreciate it!! 👍😃
I love the market and Riga - hoping to get back some day. Latvia is a lovely country and I hope to return . I was smitten on my first visit .
I love your videos, I am very happy to see, I hope you have a lot of success, that you continue to grow in everything you propose ❤
I'm from Finland and our prices are really high on basically everything. Latvia not even close.
Can't wait to visit Riga this summer again!
Hello.mate,
Yes Finland is super expensive so Latvia will seem very cheap to you.
I think you will have an amazing time👍👌
One year I visited, Latvia, Estonia, and Finland at the end of October when prices are really low during the off-season. I stayed in basic hotel rooms that included breakfast, but the hotel in Helsinki was more than twice the price of Riga and Tallinn.
LOL. I live in Helsinki and the food prices here are just the same or even CHEAPER in many cases than what is shown here.
The only thing here that is more expensive is alcohol and rental prices which are around 3-4 times higher than in Riga.
Finland WAS more expensive than Latvia 15-20 years ago, but the world has changed and the old doesn't exist anymore.
@@maga-hat709 I would have to disagree. Clothes and stuff like that are pretty much the same prize in Finland and Latvia but look at food or drinks. For example, I bought Coca cola there. In Finland one 0.5l bottle costs around 2.45 euros when in Latvia its like around 1.50 euros. Same goes with many many or most other things.
Good for you if you really can buy food even cheaper than in Latvia.
@@riproar11 Do you even know how economy works? You realize that people in Latvia earn 2-3x less than in Finland yet ur here sitting and comparing Finland with Latvia, lmao. Why did you stop on Finland, could have compared Norway with Zimbabwe and say that prices in Zimbabwe are very affordable and that everyone are wealthy.
My grandfather on my fathers side was Latvian and fought in WWII. I am very proud of him and now get to live the life I have in Australia because of this man. A great vid and love the insight into what it may be like to visit or stay one day.
Ah but which side did he fight on. Many in Latvia joined Hitler and many Russia some fought from forests as hard as they could shoot and run before capture to fire again .Im an English Historian finding the truth of what happened behind Stalins Iron curtain as Churchill called the Baltic .Horrific torture and enslavement Baltic peoples .Evil like you cannot imagine happened here . I have served in battle for England and still am shocked at what records give me of deaths in the corn fields of lack of food . Women children under armed guard providing food for Moscow .Found stealing peas from fields shot dead from five years of age to 90 . Russians are hated in Latvia Estonia Lithuania and Poland for brutal evil on public
i am from japan planning to stay at apartment for one week . it is very interesting. Most are very cheaper than japan
Yes i know . Good luck and enjoy
thx justin stay safe 😃
Thank you!👍👌
You should go to Ventspils, I think it is the best town in Latvia. You got nice beach, a river, a lake all in one small town
More expensive housing in that town
I would not say that products in Latvia are cheap. If you compare wages in Europe and Latvia.
you have to remember that prices in supermarkets in western europe also got 20-50% more expensive. for example I live in the Netherlands. Single room rent of 10m2 has gone op from 300 euros a month to 800.
most of the product are priced in European market. if you can sell it for more in WEurope farmers will sell it there. so the prices are not that different even if salaries are 2.5 - 3 times higher in WEurope. also the market is small so they have to add premium, you will have higher prices in Baltics compared to Poland even if income is similar
Go see prices renting flat in uk lot more expensive then there ur talking hundreds pounds thats in outskirts of uk cities
800 euros is the avg salary
I was surprised to see the prices at the supermarket. They are almost as high as where I live in United States America! They're only maybe around 15 % more reasonable than America. I thought food would be much more reasonable than the United States but I guess not . The apartments are way more reasonable than America 70% cheeper but not much savings on the food .
Hi and thank you for your comment.
Unfortunately, prices across Eastern Europe have gone up dramatically and the difference is narrowing every time I travel.
Even real estate prices have gone up substantially but the prices in the US have always been astronomical therefore the difference still seems quite substantial.
All the best my friends 👍
@@J.E.E they were almost half the price 3 years ago vs what they are today,some things even triple, living in latvia has gone up a lot in last few years, btw sry for my broken english
Going tomorrow. Love your tips. Shame youre not there as id buy you a drink 😂
Hello mate,
Actually I am in Riga.
Message me on Instagram or Telegram
You should come to Kaunas, Lithuania next! Great city.
Justin, big fan. I have a feeling your not enjoying the content creation. Going around supermarkets on your mobile doesn't seem like fun, just seems like your filling a small Internet niche. I loved your videos where you had fun, went on an adventure, spoke to locals, went for a night out, flirted with the hotties. Remember in your own words, enjoy your journey.
them cucucumbers expensive cause it was off season for cucumbers. they are grown in green houses in offseason thats why they are expensive. in summer when its season she already said they cost like 50 cents per kilo
Thank you very much for your input! 👍😃
You're doing great 🎉
Thank you so much!! 😃👍
Heh, when you said, Valmiermuiža is your fav latvian beer, you should come to valmiera, and go to their brewery tour. You will be able to taste the best beer in your life, straight from the brewing tank, or filtering machine, before it has been ruined by oxygen gettin to it. :) Before i became a welder, worked there for a while. Tours arent that expensive, and you get to test beer out straight from brewing tanks.
You are an interesting guy man would be cool to know more about you to inform new subscribers like me, how you end up in UK and speak russian etc
In Riga buses and trains are also available for transportation. Also there are bikes etc.
Quiet informative for someone like me who's preparing to move to Latvia ( If visa approved 😅 )
Glad it was helpful! 😃👍 Thank you so much for watching!!
Same here!!
I love the market in Riga, but the market in Liepaja is even better. It is also divided in an indoor and outdoor part, with amazing products from the Courland region of the country. I am sure you have been there as you have lived in Latvia for a while now.
of course everything is better in THE COURLAND :D
Very very very good Market JK
Agreed… thanks for watching my friend! 👍👌
€5 for a kilo of tomatoes? Are you f*cking kidding me? That's even more than here in Northern Norway, where we get everything transported from the Netherlands and Belgium!
🤣😜🫣
that’s the only expensive thing calm down
Winter prices .In summer the glut 1 euro a Kilo .So i grow early and in season buy in Rest of time roses from seed
Imlife us fetting pricey everyday brother! I was shock by prices back in italy...but at least the quality is superior! Love me some ossobuco with peas and rice..😊
i hope to go to riga i think wizzair open soon flights from tel aviv to riga :)
Quite expensive in the market, avocados and strawberries are cheaper in the UK
Thank You, Justin. By the way, how is Your Latvian? Learning?
My pleasure mate!!?
Stay tuned for Latvia 👍👌
In the Netherlands itself the prices for our cheese skyrocketed... It's like 13 to 18-, a kilo. It's crazy just with taxes I suppose.
When I lived in Latvia they wanted me to work for ~ 400 EUR per month (IT job at accenture). I couldnt afford to live in Riga on such low salary.
What century you was work? Maybe you ar zero in IT?
P.S.
IT is one of best payed job, if you have adequate skill your salary will be 2000-3000 after tax.
Its now 670 but tax goes on wage brings it down to say 500 48 hour week for each month at 500 e when rent for one bedroom flat is 480-1000 a month in central city even more .i AM English pensioner having built my own house and 5 acre gardens before EU took control .Loads of English over here have done same
Is it most common with gas stoves in the kitchen? Where does the electricity come from, gas plants or imported?
I agree, Laura are the best potatoes. I live in Tukums and we have a small farmers market but it's all locally grown and tastes amazing.
Hi Santa... What a great idea to make a film about the tukums farmers market!!! Do you mean the one opposite the polyclinic?
@@J.E.E haha if you wanna make a youtube short, then yeah - go for it! It's a tiny farmers market compared to the one in Riga. (It's open Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 7AM-2PM, and it's near Polyclinic, yes!) But Tukums is a beautiful city nevertheless. You should have come 3 weeks ago when it was the Rose Festival in Tukums, we were celebrating 735 years! Rose Festival happens every other year, so you should definitely come in July 2025! There is so much to see and do during that time.
yes tukums is great, also durbes palace there is very nice with its surrondings. Tukums is a very historic place because a lot of preserved old houses there give off a historic vibe, great architecture. riga also has kalnciems weekend market, perhaps similar in size to the one in tukums and its great@@SantaSmiles
Hey, Justin, I'm in Riga, mate, where is good to go out during the week and weekends and what times? thanks
Latvia isn’t cheap that’s for sure
Agreed… thanks for watching my friend! 👍👌
bEFORE Euro came here it was cheapest place ever lived in . EU greed and big ideas set in poorest people in Europe and all want a fortune fast
Seems like all the fruits and vegetables are in good terms 😍😍
I agree the fruit and vegetables in Latvia are of amazing quality👍
Tbilisi Georgia looks different than I remember.
👍😃
I live in Thailand on a diet that consists of at least 75% fresh fruit, which is dead cheap here and of the finest quality in the world. In fact, I grow far more papayas and mangoes on my own property than I can possibly eat, so I end up giving a lot of them away. Bottom-line, I hope to visit Latvia someday but I'll stick with being an expat here in Thailand.
So would I
How expensive are the bars and restaurants for tourists. That could be a good video
Noted and will incorporate it into a video👍
bars and restaurants are cheaper than Uk, thats for sure
3:36 Great that you can respond in Russian! Bravo!
4:18 Justin, you behave like local! Welcome!
Beautiful market place
Try Spilva brand beans in sauces, its different lvl. Nothing like English beans.
Sounds good, i will make sure to try them! Thank you for watching and commenting!! 😃👍
Appreciate your take on the cost of living. Let's hope these gems don't become Californicated and thus affordable only to the wealthy elite.
Love Latvia all of it
I'm jealous. I wish I was still there!
😆👍
I think prices very good for such a quality food, except Maxima.
have a tour around daugavpils because of its history and for it being the second largest city in latvia :)
daugavpils has a well preserved historical center around the theater and the 4 church area. however tragic history like elsewhere in latvia becaause of the war. there were 40 or more synagogues in daugavpils before the holocaust but now only a few of those remain, i think they are open as museums now or still may be a functionin synagogue
Salut Justin ! J’ai compris que tu parlais français alors parlons français 😅
Je pars vivre à Riga à la fin de l’année, alors merci pour tes vidéos ! Ça me permet de bien me préparer. Aussi, as-tu fait une vidéo qui parle un peu de ce que tu fais en général, ton background etc. Ce serait intéressant de savoir ce qui t’amène à voyager autant ! Et à parler autant de langue. Bye bye
Our country (Latvia), government, doesn't do jack sh** about taxes anywhere, and opposition is fighting for such things because of economical and energetical issues caused by EU to drop the Russian gas import for energy, and they are fighting to help the regulars to breathe a little, because in winter it might be very cold as the gas reserves are depleting. Heating up homes might double if not triple the price this winter. We have to wait and see how things will move in politics, maybe coalition (leading parties) will finally get their brains straight and do something, lower tax for products or energy, or something.
About butter, in supermarket you can get average butter for ~1.20Eur 200g. Butter is butter if the fat consistency is 82% and no additives are there. Buying more expensive butter, like 200g @ near 2 Euro mark, is no different or healthier, or tastier than the ones for less. It has the same texture, the same feel, the same butter taste. If you put it on the bread, there's no difference between them.
Regarding driving, taxiing, then I have to recommend, in case you have a drivers license and you know how to drive, then I would suggest getting applications on your phone like Bolt (there is a Bolt Drive section), Carguru, and City Bee. Those are like rental cars, but you can quickly rent them through application, you just need your drivers license pictures and your face when registering an account. It's actually really fast and easy to set up, and then you find closest car near you, or cheapest one to drive per minute, and you can take it for a drive. It's cheaper than taxi if you plan to drive from airport to center or suburbs, and vice versa. Taxi can get 2x expensive of the cost.
Looks like a nice city
It really is!! 😃👍 Thank you so much for watching and commenting my friend!
Latvia price wise is up there with countries like Belgium, France and others but unfortunately average salary is way below the average of the countries mentioned before. Beautiful country but not for the low to mid class earning people.
Just found youre channel today, very good content, I hope you reach Mr. Bold numbers
Hello mate.
I'm so happy you're enjoying the content and thank you for the support and kind words👍👌
So basically for a newcomer in Latvia's capital, it is possible to make(at the least) your groceries in English then ???
As a Scandinavian I came to work in Riga at a bank (2022), I made about 900 Euro after taxes... (1500 before tax)
Then bare in mind that most Latvians make less than I made for the same job to be precise I actually had a 500 Euro monthly bonus for knowing an other language besides English.
I had to pay about 650-700 euro a month for my first apartment that was 2 rooms (500+gas+electric+water). I paid initially 1500 Euro with all fees and the first month rent.
This was an apartment in the center of Riga.
I later shared a studio apartment with a friend, the cost would drop to about 400 each on the apartment..
Imagine that we Scandinavians and other outside workers that comes has a higher salary than avarage Latvians in the same work... Then a fair picture can be taken..
Is 1.45 Euro a milk expensive? Yes... If you only have 200 - 450 Euro after paying for housing and taxes... Then yes... It is expensive..
1 Month travel card for the trains 30 Euro. A lunch at work 5 Euro.. A pack of cigarettes 5 Euro.
Lets say I work 20 days okey... that is 5 Euro lunch 20 days a month... that´s 100 Euro...
If I made food at home and took with me to work most likely someone would steal the food and I would have to go buy lunch anyways.. (yes my Scandinavian co-workers stole eachothers food)
Oh yeah.. and the Russians there makes even less... Making it very very hard to survive.
Very good people though, very racist against the 30 percent Russian population, but all in all good people.
Except that with a lot of poverty a lot of crime come along..
Thank you for sharing your real life experience, it is valuable 👌👍
why would anyone do this? lol
and 1500 gross is 1100 net
The taxes for locals are lower, as there is a specified amount of non taxable part of the salary, so for a local 1500 brutto would be aroun 1150 EUR, but for a foreigner yes - 900 sounds rights.
Bankā strādajāt? Ko tik maz saņēmāt? Pārdevējs veikalā saņem vairāk. Mana radiniece 1200 EUR uz rokas veikala saņem. Protams tā nav Maxima. Visa visumā jums klišejiska pieeja.
@@latvian9355 Banka skadia!!!!
It surprise me as in lLatvia you can not find cheese under 20€ kg russian holland or any other
Nice thought about speaking on phone while filming so angry guards won't come at you.
Thank you!👍👌
It’s not as cheap as it is in Bulgaria
👍😃
are they?@@Reinciks
Wow fruits prices are cheaper than india. ❤
Thank you for your input! 👍🙂
I could say prices in Latvia are pretty high comparing with their salaries. Some prices are very good comparing with prices with Germany or Belgium, for example - in meat and fish. Meat and fish is expensive in Europe. Milk product prices are extremely expensive in Latvia comparing with Europe countries Aldi or Lidl prices. But what is the main difference from food in Latvia and from food in West Europe is TASTE. Latvia's meat taste as a meat, tomatoes taste is extremely good compared to their tasteless vegetables. When you put dills in the fridge whole fridge smells so dilly, in West dills have no smell. Etc. Taste and smell in Latvia's products are natural and good. Netherlands is very proud of their scientific approach to growing vegetables by growing vegetables without soil in huge greenhouses. Yes, they grow beautiful and intact, but they have no taste, no smell, and are highly chemicalized. Maybe that is why we have cancer explosion in last decades....
Yes i thought so to, meat is a lot cheaper than in Sweden but dairy products especialy milk is a lot more expensive then Sweden.
@@mikaelnilsson7313 Exactly! I know prices in Europe very good and know what I am talking about. In my opinion most expensive country in Europe is Iceland. Then come Scandinavian countries and Switzerland. Then Belgium and so...
Big diifrence between Scandinavian Sweden is a lot cheaper then Denmark and Norway go to a shopping center in south Sweden and there will be 50% Danes. @@rosesummer1151
Thanks for sharing, i really appreciate it!! 👍😃
Ахахахахах с тётей забавно получилось))
Hello everyone. I'm ready to start my university in Riga. But I don't know the country fully. Can someone tell me about it please.... thanks in advance.
How do you learn languages Justin?
Hi Hassayaki,
I am very passionate about languages and learning them!!!
Stay tuned for a complete reveal of how I do it👍
riga was way cheaper than finland when i visited last summer
Thank you so much for you feedback, i really appreciate it!! 👍😃
Same like uk just in Latvia minimum wage is 600-800 🤣 in Latvia you have to survive if u want to live there
Minimum wage. :D Nobody is earning minimum wage in Riga.
@@adishoogendorp4194 idiot everyone who works in shops
@@adishoogendorp4194 not true, people do earn minimum wage in Riga too
@@yarimster Not true. People do not earn minimum wage in Riga.
@@adishoogendorp4194 it is true, I have been on a min wage in Riga, so plz check before putting such statements