It is not surprising.
Probably apparel prices in my country are highest in the world. Of course, there are cheap clothes, but most of them are not so much endurable. On the contrary, in the case of U.S., I could be satisfied with the quality of cheap clothes from Wal-mart or Target: cheap but endurable. Also, there are megastores comparable to Wal-mart and Target. A problem there is the lack of variety.
To purchased reliable apparel products here in S. Korea, we should invest at least $200 for each item. I purchased my athletic jacket at ca. US $350. My wife got a gift card of about ca. $400, but the cheapest one she could purchase was ca. $500. Typical one-piece dresses in small shops cost > $600, and a few female colleagues close to me confessed that they paid > $2,000 for their favorable one-piece dress for summer.
For crossdressing and variety, I ordered through the internet, although the quaility is dubious. But sometimes I become lucky to get cheap but surprisingly endurable items.
Barbie~~
