4 ms·

Maybe it's because I live near DC but $350 isn't bad at all if you're not paying rent. Also this is pretty common in the US as well.

by swiley 5y ago

disruptthelaw 5y ago
$350 per month full time (albeit with accommodation sometimes included). Surely this would be unheard of in the US?
- akiselev 5y ago
  Only people stuck in exploitative situations would make $350/mo for full time work in the United States, but I wouldn't be surprised if the number of people living on ~$350/mo (including rent) is in the six or seven figures. The economic inequality between the poorer parts of the South, Appalachia, urban projects, etc and wealthy cities can be staggering. The latter subsidize national infrastructure so it's hard to find a town with extremely unreliable electricity like one might find in South Africa, but that's it - we've even got similar segregated parallel economies. For example, Sudhir Venkatesh from UofC did a study (mentioned in the Freakanomics book) on drug dealers and their income: he found that the rank and file made less than half of minimum wage, working out to under $800 a month full time. Now spread that across the family members that the dealer has to support and $350/mo per adult is not unrealistic.
adflux 5y ago
How could anyone live on that kind of money in the US?
- swiley 5y ago
  You don't. Your employer is paying for all the necessities because you can benefit from economies of scale (There are tons of empty spare bedrooms in the US but building extra housing is impossible in most places for example.)
- argonaut 5y ago
  Welfare. A single person would pay no tax and indeed receive several hundred dollars a year in tax rebates. They would qualify for ~$200/month in food stamps and likely get health insurance for free. They would also qualify for low income subsidized housing. With kids the benefits (tax rebates and food stamps) increase by thousands.

Maybe it's because I live near DC but $350 isn't bad at all if you're not paying rent. Also this is pretty common in the US as well.

by swiley 5y ago

Maybe it's because I live near DC but $350 isn't bad at all if you're not paying rent. Also this is pretty common in the US as well.

disruptthelaw 5y ago

$350 per month full time (albeit with accommodation sometimes included). Surely this would be unheard of in the US?

akiselev 5y ago
Only people stuck in exploitative situations would make $350/mo for full time work in the United States, but I wouldn't be surprised if the number of people living on ~$350/mo (including rent) is in the six or seven figures. The economic inequality between the poorer parts of the South, Appalachia, urban projects, etc and wealthy cities can be staggering. The latter subsidize national infrastructure so it's hard to find a town with extremely unreliable electricity like one might find in South Africa, but that's it - we've even got similar segregated parallel economies. For example, Sudhir Venkatesh from UofC did a study (mentioned in the Freakanomics book) on drug dealers and their income: he found that the rank and file made less than half of minimum wage, working out to under $800 a month full time. Now spread that across the family members that the dealer has to support and $350/mo per adult is not unrealistic.

adflux 5y ago

How could anyone live on that kind of money in the US?

swiley 5y ago
You don't. Your employer is paying for all the necessities because you can benefit from economies of scale (There are tons of empty spare bedrooms in the US but building extra housing is impossible in most places for example.)
argonaut 5y ago
Welfare. A single person would pay no tax and indeed receive several hundred dollars a year in tax rebates. They would qualify for ~$200/month in food stamps and likely get health insurance for free. They would also qualify for low income subsidized housing. With kids the benefits (tax rebates and food stamps) increase by thousands.