> The US "poverty line" is at the ~80th percentile of world income This figure doesn't matter much, unless a person in the US can decide to buy a loaf of bread

> The US "poverty line" is at the ~80th percentile of world income This figure doesn't matter much, unless a person in the US can decide to buy a loaf of bread from Kyrgystan for 25.86 Som, does it? You'd have to adjust to make a meaningful comparison with the rest of the world. > Contrast that with really basic costs of food ($1/meal traditional diet, or $12/day Soylent ready-to-drink), housing (one 100 sq ft simple "tiny house" per person, $1-10/day), data service ($1/day), plus other comparably humble-yet-sufficient services add up to something like $5000/yr $5,000? Come on now. This guy[1] apparently lives on $7,000, but it is quite an extreme lifestyle. And he has an RV, the cost of which he doesn't count in his expenses. And he has a garden in which he grows his own food, which we don't all have a place to put. etc. Combine that with the fact that this lifestyle won't be feasible for everyone -- some of us need more medical insurance than he pays for, for example -- and when the lifestyle fails for people they end up in the ER or prison or otherwise taxing everyone else. I agree with your general premise, but let's not exaggerate, $5k/yr is not realistic. [1]: http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-i-live-on-7000-per-year.html http://earlyretirementextreme.com/how-i-live-on-7000-per-yea...