The United States has the highest cost of living in the Americas despite leading the world in buying power:
Posted by blk12345q@reddit | Libertarian | View on Reddit | 55 comments
bingold49@reddit
Now compare this to standard of living, i understand it costs more to live in the US and Canada but I can also drink water straight out of my tap and have incredibly reliable electricity
patheticlonerguy@reddit
You must think we Latin Americans live in treehouses, wear loincloths, and spend our time climbing trees for bananas at dinner lol
Jhoaumz@reddit
I'm latin, and my country is just shit, fucking poor, a I have to work 1 month to buy things an American could buy In 2 days of work in his country
patheticlonerguy@reddit
De dónde sos?
Jhoaumz@reddit
Brazil, it's still one of the best in Latin America and fucking miserable compared to the US
bendable_girder@reddit
No, but to suggest that the standard of living is comparable is absurd, and you know this, or rather hopefully do
patheticlonerguy@reddit
Same comment as to the other guy:
I’ve been to the States multiple times and have lived my entire life in Costa Rica, visiting several other Latin American countries as well. Honestly, our standard of living isn’t something to envy, even if that’s hard for you to hear. We can drink tap water anytime, and yes, our electricity is… well, electric. I’m not sure what you think we’re dealing with over here.
I’d genuinely like to ask—what exactly do you believe we’re lacking? I’d love to know what you think makes my quality of life inferior to yours.
sogoslavo32@reddit
The six-figures salaries are something to envy tbf, and everything that comes along with it.
Ed_Radley@reddit
So you do drink your water straight from the tap without spending hours on the toilet later?
patheticlonerguy@reddit
Yes, of course.
Ed_Radley@reddit
A little, but I also haven’t gone out of my way to be up-to-date on the decline of Montezuma’s Revenge cases south of the border since that country song came out saying “don’t drink the water in Mexico”. The fact it may not be as prevalent as it was 13 years ago doesn’t surprise me.
bingold49@reddit
That's right, don't address the argument, just call the person making the argument stupid
patheticlonerguy@reddit
Not saying your "stupid" but your argument is.
I’ve been to the States multiple times and have lived my entire life in Costa Rica, visiting several other Latin American countries as well. Honestly, our standard of living isn’t something to envy, even if that’s hard for you to hear. We can drink tap water anytime, and yes, our electricity is… well, electric. I’m not sure what you think we’re dealing with over here.
I’d genuinely like to ask—what exactly do you believe we’re lacking? I’d love to know what you think makes my quality of life inferior to yours.
bingold49@reddit
I mean you don't have to ask me, there's studies and statistics that constantly monitor these things. My anecdotal experience is limited to just Mexico and no you cannot drink the tap water.
https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/gmaps.jsp
patheticlonerguy@reddit
I didn’t have to, but I wanted to, for the sake of conversation. Data is important, sure, but I find it more engaging to discuss things based on firsthand experience. I’m not sure which part of Mexico you’ve been to, but I can confidently say I’ve never visited a house in my country where the tap water wasn’t drinkable.
YodaCodar@reddit
You just committed the fatal flaw of
Appeal to Extremes
An argument fallacy that doesn't really consider what was being said. No, no one thinks that people live in treehouses, wear loincloths, and spend time climbing trees.
In cuba, which is the most extreme example, people still are not monkeys but do have metals in their waters and unreliable electricity.
patheticlonerguy@reddit
"You just committed the fatal flaw..." Fuck of it was just a joke
Viend@reddit
Any time you think it’s bad in America, never forget that the water we shit in is cleaner than the water a lot of people drink.
ourstupidearth@reddit
But, compared to Colombia, you also pay way more for worse good cocaine, so you have to factor that into your list of priorities. If you do enough cocaine, your electricity is going to get cut off anyways so what's even the point?
bingold49@reddit
When you put it like that....
Substantial-Step703@reddit
Canada def costs more then USA still this chart is not true
CablocoLoco_@reddit
that's not a good libertarian way to compare countries, im brazilian and the standard of living that it refers is in a favela or an old and small house with a Uno 1990, and the EUAs standart of living is a good house, good foods and some of the best qualities of life, that's why i wanna leave my country to live in eua, the average salary here is 2000 reais (400dol) and the cost of living is higher as hell
oraclizer@reddit
Well.... if DC would just stop printing money from nothing....
LOSTmyMoney2wice@reddit
This is the correct and only answer
Our cost of living and standard of living are not directly correlated and one being high doesn't mean the other will be
ni-wom@reddit
I thought Canada was more expensive
CharlesEwanMilner@reddit
Only the parts that aren’t fully privatised are broken
LOSTmyMoney2wice@reddit
Meep
LOSTmyMoney2wice@reddit
"Corporations meet government"
"Government meet corporations"
"Oh and this is my roommate, Wall Street"
But I swear it's still a capitalist country
nozawanotes@reddit
The U.S. has the highest cost of living in the Americas because it leads the world in buying power; people are bidding prices up.
Plus even if these figures are properly adjusted for income, since incomes are higher in the U.S. you can still save much more money than you can elsewhere, even if you have to spend spend a higher percentage of your paycheck on necessities. There’s a reason people in those countries are trying to come to the US, while Americans only go the other way if they can earn US salaries while spending in local currency.
Top-Appeal-9653@reddit
and people from Latin America bid USA home prices up.
OJ241@reddit
Argentina seems like a good move more each day
More-Instruction-183@reddit
Thankfully that’s beginning to change in Argentina as living cost (as they should) are rising from one of its historical minimal
FunnyFatGuy3@reddit
I live in Argentina. Cost of living is certainly cheap if you compare with international prices. Now, living here, earning a sallary in AR$ and taking the inflation into consideration, I can assure you things aren't cheap over here. Living in the city, you can say bye bye to half of your monthly income (at least, if you actually make pretty good money FOR AN ARGENTINEAN cause most people make like less than U$S 20k a year), just for living in a studio apartment.
crinkneck@reddit
Moved from Canada to Florida and my life is much better and more affordable.
denzien@reddit
Right, so we have more money than anyone, and so we spend more money than anyone. Makes sense to me.
Thencewasit@reddit
Pretty sure there is more than 11 counties in the world.
But I ain’t no Magellan.
swimming_cold@reddit
The real conspiracy is that America is the only continent and the rest are all made up by the elites!
dylhen@reddit
"in the Americas" op said
Thencewasit@reddit
I saw despite leading the world in buying power.
DiabloAcosta@reddit
Do you really think any country in the Americas has a higher cost of living? if you do, you don't know what you're talking about, but please prove me wrong!
Thencewasit@reddit
https://terratern.com/blog/most-expensive-countries-in-the-world/
DiabloAcosta@reddit
Thank you for proving my point, none of those countries are in the Americas
dylhen@reddit
Yeah that's accurate lol
Round-Western-8529@reddit
I don’t want to live in a place that has a necktie named after it, even if it’s the cheapest
Individual-Arm9999@reddit
Yikes that is not a good look for us at all.
mediocre-referee@reddit
How is that not a good look? We're a first world country with first world amenities. Having the highest cost of living is meaningless in a vacuum.
Individual-Arm9999@reddit
I was referring to the power and purchase of the dollar in our country.
mediocre-referee@reddit
Leading the world in purchasing power is a win, though? It means we can buy the most with our wealth. These two stats together are also going to be very highly correlated as the highest purchasing power will have the highest demand for goods, which will raise prices.
Individual-Arm9999@reddit
Look at the cost of living it’s been terrible for several years along bad monetary policies and terrible leadership that has hurt the United States and the power of dollar in general don’t you see.
mediocre-referee@reddit
Sure, but that's somewhat irrelevant to this post and your doom and gloom just shows you don't have a base understanding of economics, because the data posted by OP is not saying what you're saying.
Individual-Arm9999@reddit
I want the Fed and Several 3 letter agencies to go away that will make America Free again.
Just like what Javier Milei did for Argentina we need a Javier Milei in the US very badly Ron Paul was the closest one that can match him.
JaxAttacks12@reddit
As someone who lives in Canada this seems pretty misleading, cost of living in Canada is brutal rn, especially with groceries and housing
bunnymunro40@reddit
And Canada is now coming in at no. 2, despite our average income sinking to 2/3s of the US.
PhilRubdiez@reddit
As the great warrior poet Biggie once said, “Mo money Mo problems.” I’d love to see how much it would cost to have a similar quality of life in Bogata as I would get in even Cleveland.
TexasBrett@reddit
More breaking news at 6 Jan!
Seriously, what did you expect? The country that has the highest standard of living in the Americas, is also the most expensive.