The discussion is about retail so I'd exclude healthcare and education. Retail-wise, with relatively low sales tax(no VAT, typically 5-10% sales tax) and highly

The discussion is about retail so I'd exclude healthcare and education. Retail-wise, with relatively low sales tax(no VAT, typically 5-10% sales tax) and highly competitive options we do have cheap abundance in the US. Isn't one of the main criticisms that we waste the most energy per capita? Fuel is cheap, electricity is cheap, electronics are cheap, food is cheap and portions are massive. When I travel the only thing I find comparatively cheaper in other countries is human services. So in places like Southeast Asia or Latin America you can afford a maid and a driver on an upper middle local salary but would still pay more for an imported cell phone than an American.