What can you buy for five dollars?
fivedollarcomparison.org
To explore the relative value of five dollars we are collecting examples from around the world by asking people to submit photos of objects or services that cost the equivalent of $5. Participate...
![Coffee and croissant on "special", Geneva Airport.](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/3048151860_b5809bfe5a.jpg "Coffee and croissant on "special", Geneva Airport.")
![Washington D.C. metro now charges $5 just for a "smart card"...that you
THEN put MORE money on to actually ride on the metro (get somewhere).
The card used to be optional, but it's now required. If you don't have
a smart card, you can't ride the metro (no more single-ride paper
tickets). $5 simply gets you the privilege of paying more money to
actually get somewhere.
You also must have this smart card to park at (well, to get out of the
parking lot of) a metro station. This is particularly ironic because
you must first drive into the metro parking lot to enter the station to
buy a card that will then let you back out. If you don't know this
ahead of time (which many people do not)...it'll cost you $5 for the
card + $4.50 to open the parking gate...even if you've decided that you
don't want to park there after all. That's an expensive mistake.](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3121/3101081194_3c08fffc65.jpg "Washington D.C. metro now charges $5 just for a "smart card"...that you
THEN put MORE money on to actually ride on the metro (get somewhere).
The card used to be optional, but it's now required. If you don't have
a smart card, you can't ride the metro (no more single-ride paper
tickets). $5 simply gets you the privilege of paying more money to
actually get somewhere.
You also must have this smart card to park at (well, to get out of the
parking lot of) a metro station. This is particularly ironic because
you must first drive into the metro parking lot to enter the station to
buy a card that will then let you back out. If you don't know this
ahead of time (which many people do not)...it'll cost you $5 for the
card + $4.50 to open the parking gate...even if you've decided that you
don't want to park there after all. That's an expensive mistake.")
