Well over $100k in the higher cost of living states, too. And as the article states, that’s typically about double what the median salary is for a single person in most states.
I’d like to point out that AES states - while maybe they didn’t have all the same quality or quantity of consumer goods - were able to able to to provide a comfortable life for everyone without all the predatory that US workers currently have. And don’t take my word for it, take it from the neoliberal queen herself, Angela Merkel. When asked about life in the former GDR, she described it as “almost comfortable”. Now before you mention that “almost” is an important qualifier, note that the context of her quote was her trying to criticize the former GDR but she grudgingly conceded the comment above.
Also that outside of those cities wages are much lower anyways so even if rent is cheaper, you're probably still paying the same percentage of monthly income. I think back to when I was splitting a 2-bedroom apartment and paying $425+half the utilities per month as being "easier" but I also made less than a third of what I do now. The real difference is that my optimism for the future hadn't been completely crushed back then.
I notice groceries can get more expensive outside of cities too
yeah i commute a bit for my groceries now. half of what i pay at my local store for similar items
In my sprawling city, I've noticed there's a ring of affordable groceries about 20 km from the city centre. In the city the high commercial rent pushes up. Further out, transport and infrastructure costs go up. Going a couple of hundred km away, it's more expensive than middle of the city
here the competition just dries up further from the cities that surround where im at. most towns just have one grocery store and it can fleece the shit out of everyone.
there should be bountiful farmers markets but they are tiny and only open for like 2 hours one day a week kind of deals
Probably true here too