This part gripes me when they travel to “less fortunate” or “poor” countries where eating out is $0.50-2.00 but the same or similar thing is $30-500 in the US, however: people earn different levels of income. Like in that “third world” country, people may only live with $10 a day while Americans live with either $7.25 / $15 per hour in minimum wage, so it’s not comparable as to why the prices are seen as “cheap” by Americans.

Now, put it this way: if an average joe were to earn the FEDERAL mandated minimum wage of $7.25, is buying a whole weeks worth of groceries affordable with that alone (excluding rent, utilities, insurance, etc)? Do you consider a $200 semi-fancy dinner at a restaurant (not over the top luxurious, but formal & fine dining) with family or friends “cheap” in the US whilst earning $15 (or even $30) per hour in minimum wage?

  • solrize@lemmy.ml
    14·
    2 days ago

    Eating out is ridiculously expensive these days and on minumum wage (even on the $15+/h local minimum wage here) you can’t eat out very often. Can you buy a week’s worth of groceries on 40*7.25=$290, maybe $200 after taxes, assuming your housing and everything is paid some other way? Yes $200/week for groceries is plenty for one person who spends carefully. I don’t spend anywhere near that much.

    $200 sounds about right for what I’d call a semi-fancy restaurant meal for 4 people including some drinks etc. I wouldn’t call it cheap in the sense that I would want to do it frequently. It would be a ridiculous luxury for someone on $7.25/h. Try a Costco pizza for cheap filling take-out.

    • Trainguyrom@reddthat.comEnglish
      21·
      2 days ago

      Yes $200/week for groceries is plenty for one person who spends carefully. I don’t spend anywhere near that much.

      That’s a heck of a lot more than I spend on my family of 4 for groceries! Even with an added allergy that means some of the stuff that’s normally $2-3 we have to get ~$10 variants of

      • Bo7a@piefed.caEnglish
        21·
        2 days ago

        This comment comes up every single time food prices are mentioned. And it is never useful.

        I am legitimately happy for you, but your circumstance is not everyone else’s and you may not be doing it on purpose, but making this claim could make someone else who can’t pull that off feel like less of a parent, or less of a provider.