Sure, maybe. In the end, what makes an expense big or not is which proportion of their income goes towards it. Most of the rest of the world has (much) lower sa

Sure, maybe. In the end, what makes an expense big or not is which proportion of their income goes towards it. Most of the rest of the world has (much) lower salaries, and as you pointed out, often higher cost for equipment. Therefore, the purchase is/feels larger.