Perspectives vary. That's what I made on my first job out of college in one of the bigger cities in the Midwest (not Chicago). It was fine for that. I didn't

Perspectives vary. That's what I made on my first job out of college in one of the bigger cities in the Midwest (not Chicago). It was fine for that. I didn't have extravagant tastes, but I didn't penny pinch. I had enough room in my budget that I could have saved probably a few hundred dollars a month. It's worth calling out that my car was paid off (and a Prius so gas/insurance was cheap), and my rent was really low ($300 a month because of arrangement with the landlord). Work also covered almost all of my insurance, which I think is unusual for jobs in those range. If those things weren't true, I probably would have saved little or nothing unless I started cutting back and focusing on buying cheap food to eat instead of just being happy with cooking instead of eating out. Home ownership is possible if you save for years, or if you can get a grant to help with the downpayment (had a friend who did that). It's not pleassant, but it's doable imo. I don't think you could have a family on a single $15/hr income. Even at 2 $15/hr incomes I would think it was hard, but I don't have children so maybe they're cheaper than I think. Although no one has ever said their children were cheaper than they thought.