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I've seen this online a lot of times. Along with posts like "Alabama's GDP per capita higher than England's". Technically they're not wrong, but why do people keep ignoring the obvious; that the cost of living in the US are a lot higher too? It is true that it is better off being poor in the US as opposed to being poor in say, Thailand or Peru. In the US even the poor people can have food and smartphones. But to say that it is better to be poor in the US than it is to be middle class in a developing country, come on
Someone earning $1100 a month in the US is not better off than someone earning $1000 a month in Thailand or Peru. In the US, about $400-500 of that will go towards the rent in a neighborhood in a poor area. It might be a very dangerous area with a lot of crime and pollution and few amenities. If you live in a big city the rent is going to be even higher so you might even have to share a small apartment with 2 or 3 roommates. $120 of that will go into a monthly Metrocard, or gasoline so that you can get to work. You will have to buy the cheapest food and live off discounted items. If you want to improve your situation and study, one class at a local community college will cost $600-700. And that's just one class. You need dozens of these classes to get a degree. If it doesn't already seem difficult, imagine if you have another mouth to feed. Ouch...
Now for a world average country like Thailand or Peru. For $300-400 you can get a nice 2-bedroom apartment in a safe middle class area with a lot of amenities. You still have to take a bus or a tuk-tuk to get to work...which is going to be under a $1 a day. Fruits and groceries are abundant and dirt cheap. You can have a filling lunch at a cheap restaurant for $2 or $3. Even after rent and basic necessities you still have a good amount of money left to enjoy life. You can treat yourself to a nice dinner ($5-10) every once in a while or a massage ($10). And since you live in an apartment by yourself, you can easily have family members or children with you
My point is not that the US is a bad place to live. Quite the opposite. Being middle class in the US>middle class in most of the world. Being lower class in the US>lower class in most of the world. But being lower class in the US does not mean that you are the 99% compared to the rest of the world. No matter what some stupid misguided articles say. It is insulting to both; the people living in developing countries, and the poor people living in the United States. US is a good place to live overall, but there is no need to make up bs lies to make it seem like nirvana. There is no need to try to diminish the struggle that impoverished people in rural areas or the inner city face. Being poor in every country sucks, and the US is no exception
Being lower class in the US>lower class in most of the world. But being lower class in the US does not mean that you are the 99% compared to the rest of the world.
no, but being poor in the US means you have a lot more opportunities to get out of poverty by working than you would if you were poor in other countries
sure, they might have free education, but you end up with doctors making $1,000/month in some EU countries, where someone could make that per week in the US without medical school
because someone in Thailand (without foreign income) would not be making $1,000/month and be middle class....
It would be upper middle class there, you are right in that. That just goes to show that money is not equal in all parts of the world. $1,000 a month in Thailand will leave you infinitely better off than $1,000 in New York or San Francisco
Clearly you've never been to a third world nation. Go find a charity group like "Healing Haiti".
There is no middle class there. The poor here have access to funds govt assistance/ medical that is light years ahead of Haiti. Lol.
You haven't seen poor till you visit Cite Soleil.
Yes the poor here are far better off than third world nations.
Clearly you've never been to a third world nation. Go find a charity group like "Healing Haiti".
There is no middle class there. The poor here have access to funds govt assistance/ medical that is light years ahead of Haiti. Lol.
You haven't seen poor till you visit Cite Soleil.
Yes the poor here are far better off than third world nations.
Third world countries no, haven't been there. Have been to plenty of developing countries tho, in fact I grew up in one. When my family first moved to the US we lived in a lower-middle class area, and yes, our living of standard at first was a lot lower than what we were used to in our home country. It took a couple of years for us to reach and surpass it
It's a legitimate question that would often boil down to an individual's life stage, abilities, and goals. For me the idea of living in Egypt or Jamaica (places I've visited) is not appealing due to the way that most developing nations are run, i.e. rather poorly. Now if I was from Flint, MI and was used to dysfunction then maybe being on island time along with the vibe and sunshine wouldn't be so bad.
One note on cost of living is that some things do not really change much country to country. A new Toyota Corolla is pretty much the same cost the world over if you discount tariffs/taxes......actually some poorer countries with protectionist policies will have higher costs for the same goods compared to more free trade-oriented developed nations. E.G. a Corolla in Brazil ranges from $29k to 37k. In the US they max out at about $25k.
Maybe if we want to talk about QOL we should compare average life expectancies for lower class US residents to other middle class in developing countries as a baseline.
Last edited by verybadgnome; 09-04-2017 at 09:35 PM..
In Third World Countries it just the upper class and the lower class. The difference is the lower class in the US has/had (depending on who you talk to) opportunities to improve their family outlook and the economic situation.
I would much rather be broke and homeless in America than some third world nation where the equivalent person is dying of dysentery.
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