6 ms·

According to this site, the cost of housing in Cambridge, MA for one person is $1063/month. I live there with a roommate, and the total rent for our place is $

According to this site, the cost of housing in Cambridge, MA for one person is $1063/month. I live there with a roommate, and the total rent for our place is $1200/month. This is a nice apartment with hardwood floors and lots of light, in a nice location. You do the math, because apparently the creators of this site didn't. Also, their hourly "living wage" seems to be based on a 40-hour work week. I personally work way more than that, and I know people that work less. If you think about it, the very concept of a "living wage" -- as a function only of your location and the number of people you support -- is wrong-headed. What do you suppose the living wage is for Beverly Hills, CA? News flash: not everyone can afford to live everywhere. Just like some cars are cheaper than others, some places to live are more affordable than others. If you aren't making enough to live where you want to live, maybe you should re-examine your job skills or your aspirations about where to live, rather than blaming your employer for not paying you a "living wage".

jackchristopher 18y ago
Living on $800/mnth in Boston; Close to the floor. You could get closer, but you'd be compromising on an essential. That's one room out of three (water incld.), food, T pass (no car), electric, gas (for heat/food), iPhone, net, wash/dry and general supplies. Minimum wage here is 8.00/hr. But you'd get more and could work less than 40 hrs and make it; It can be done. But living wage doesn't mean absolute minimum. I'd need double to enjoy myself without having thinking about money. It's meant to be temporary.
timr 18y ago
"What do you suppose the living wage is for Beverly Hills, CA? News flash: not everyone can afford to live everywhere." Yet everywhere you go, there's a demand for people who clean up your trash, fix your meals, sweep your streets and teach your children. These people have to live somewhere, too.
- yummyfajitas 18y ago
  They can live someplace nearby and commute. According to google maps, it takes 34 minutes to get from Compton (a cheap area, if rap songs are accurate) to Beverly Hills. There are probably other cheap areas not legendary for breeding hard soldiers, I just don't know the west coast at all. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=compton,+ca&daddr=beverly+hills,+ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.315864,79.101563&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&s... On the east coast, Jersey/Brooklyn/LI to Manhattan is equally reasonable.
  - DLWormwood 18y ago
    > They can live someplace nearby and commute. The problem with that is that commuting distances is it's own expense. It also rules out people like me who don't have a driver's license to drive a car in the first place. I can only work in heavily urban areas (Most of Chicago, or even parts of Toledo) because of it. Also, note that the argument above had nothing to do with ecological or foreign dependence concerns, which is what most people think of when they pan commuter culture.
    - bumbledraven 18y ago
      Also, note that the argument above had nothing to do with ecological or foreign dependence concerns Those are some of the resaons why we have mass transit.
    - yummyfajitas 18y ago
      The problem timr was describing is that Beverly Hills needs some low skill workers. I'm sure sufficiently many low skill workers have cars/bus passes to meet the needs of Beverly Hills. I'm not a fan of car culture either. I'm just pointing out that a "living wage" in beverly hills can't be more than a "living wage" in Compton + cost of commuting. Incidentally, the market adjusts wages in exactly that way: the 50'th st Qdoba in Manhattan pays a couple bucks more/hour than the Hoboken Qdoba. Most likely there is a similar wage premium to work in Beverly Hills.
  - Retric 18y ago
    It's more normal to have people share living spaces. At my last job I worked with an Indian making 45k who was splitting a 2 breadroom 1350$ / month apt with 8 people (they used bunk beds). He had no car and 170$ / month rent is cheep so he was saving a tun of money.

jackchristopher 18y ago

Living on $800/mnth in Boston; Close to the floor. You could get closer, but you'd be compromising on an essential. That's one room out of three (water incld.), food, T pass (no car), electric, gas (for heat/food), iPhone, net, wash/dry and general supplies. Minimum wage here is 8.00/hr. But you'd get more and could work less than 40 hrs and make it; It can be done. But living wage doesn't mean absolute minimum. I'd need double to enjoy myself without having thinking about money. It's meant to be temporary.

timr 18y ago

"What do you suppose the living wage is for Beverly Hills, CA? News flash: not everyone can afford to live everywhere." Yet everywhere you go, there's a demand for people who clean up your trash, fix your meals, sweep your streets and teach your children. These people have to live somewhere, too.

yummyfajitas 18y ago
They can live someplace nearby and commute. According to google maps, it takes 34 minutes to get from Compton (a cheap area, if rap songs are accurate) to Beverly Hills. There are probably other cheap areas not legendary for breeding hard soldiers, I just don't know the west coast at all. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=compton,+ca&daddr=beverly+hills,+ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.315864,79.101563&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&s... On the east coast, Jersey/Brooklyn/LI to Manhattan is equally reasonable.
- DLWormwood 18y ago
  > They can live someplace nearby and commute. The problem with that is that commuting distances is it's own expense. It also rules out people like me who don't have a driver's license to drive a car in the first place. I can only work in heavily urban areas (Most of Chicago, or even parts of Toledo) because of it. Also, note that the argument above had nothing to do with ecological or foreign dependence concerns, which is what most people think of when they pan commuter culture.
  - bumbledraven 18y ago
    Also, note that the argument above had nothing to do with ecological or foreign dependence concerns Those are some of the resaons why we have mass transit.
  - yummyfajitas 18y ago
    The problem timr was describing is that Beverly Hills needs some low skill workers. I'm sure sufficiently many low skill workers have cars/bus passes to meet the needs of Beverly Hills. I'm not a fan of car culture either. I'm just pointing out that a "living wage" in beverly hills can't be more than a "living wage" in Compton + cost of commuting. Incidentally, the market adjusts wages in exactly that way: the 50'th st Qdoba in Manhattan pays a couple bucks more/hour than the Hoboken Qdoba. Most likely there is a similar wage premium to work in Beverly Hills.
- Retric 18y ago
  It's more normal to have people share living spaces. At my last job I worked with an Indian making 45k who was splitting a 2 breadroom 1350$ / month apt with 8 people (they used bunk beds). He had no car and 170$ / month rent is cheep so he was saving a tun of money.