Here’s One Way to Get Good Deals on Luxury Items

Attention jet-setting bargain shoppers: Want a cheap suit? Go to Sao Paulo. A four-door Mercedes? Lisbon’s the place. Dental checkup? Try Vancouver.

Ostentation may be out of fashion, but for a long-term investment that should hold up in value, cheap isn’t chic, advises Jean-Marc Levet & Partners, an international real estate investment firm.

Levet’s primary intent was to tout expensive real estate to those who can afford it.

Among the findings of Levet’s survey of global prices:

* A four-door Mercedes lists for $18,315 in Lisbon, compared to $45,000 in the United States.

* A dental check-up in Geneva averages $110 per visit, more than double the $49.76 charged in Vancouver.

* Women’s wool suits run $500 in Tokyo and Geneva, $237 in London and $370 in Paris. A silk blouse bought in New York costs more than three times a similar chemise in Paris or Geneva. Men’s suits run from $800 in Geneva to $200 in Sao Paulo.

* A loaf of bread, a quart of milk, a dozen eggs, and a chicken total $55.42 in Tokyo, the most expensive city for food. All that plus a filet mignon runs a mere $10.60 in Sao Paulo. An Italian dinner for two ranges from $119.05 in Tokyo to $29.30 in Lisbon.