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According to Everhour, as of 2023, the average salary in Mexico was 29,200 MXN, which is equivalent to about $1,695 a month.
Meanwhile, in America, the average salary is $59,428, about $5,000 a month.
While this is a large income gap, because the cost of living in Mexico is so much cheaper than America’s, their wages can actually support them adequately.
“You can get a full meal here for $2,” De La Rosa pointed out. “The metro in Mexico City costs 5 MXN, which is like 25 cents.”
Additionally, while a one-bedroom apartment in the U.S. can range from $1,350 to $1,670 a month, the same apartment in Mexico would only cost around $280 to $459 each month, according to International Citizens. That’s nearly an 80% difference in rent costs.
De La Rosa provided an example of why so many Americans are living paycheck to paycheck.
“Let’s say you live in the U.S. and you make $3500 a month after taxes,” he said. “Rent $2000, car payment $500, car insurance $200, health insurance $200, phone bill $100, Wi-Fi bill $50, light bill $150, water bill $100.”
This estimation of bills totals $3,300, only leaving someone with $200 to spare for the month, which would likely need to go towards groceries, gas, and other necessities — this doesn’t even account for debt.
“What’s the point of making more money if you don’t get to keep any of it?” he pointed out. “The U.S. system wants you to spend every waking moment of your life working and paying into a system that will never benefit you. Slaving away your whole life just to be retired for a measly 10 years.”
Essentially, people are spending all of their time and energy on a job that can only cover their monthly expenses. They aren’t able to save or invest, and they aren’t able to spend money on anything fun. The only way Americans can actually make more money than the bare minimum to survive is by overworking themselves, taking on multiple jobs and side hustles, and securing additional sources of income. However, a significant percentage of us are resorting to racking up our credit cards, which is only worsening our financial situation.
“At least here in Mexico, we own our things, we own our houses, we own our cars, we’re not in debt,” the man said. “And I know this is going to hurt a lot of Americans, but it’s the truth.”
Our inflated economy only creates a selfish, individualistic culture centered around money.
According to a 2023 survey, a staggering 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, which is 6% higher than the previous year. And we can only expect this number to continue growing.
It’s like the classic hamster wheel analogy. We’re working day in and day out just to pay our monthly bills, but many of us feel like we’re not getting anywhere. We’re slowly trying to find additional income to support ourselves, but all this is doing is interfering with our work-life balance and our culture.
As many Americans continue to feel like they’re upside down, drowning in bills, we are only adopting more selfish and individualistic values, desperate to save every penny for ourselves — and it’s driving us apart.
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Meanwhile, Mexicans not only have a much more community-based culture, but they’re happier making so much less because they can actually afford to live comfortably.
America has placed so much pressure on the value of money that we’ve disconnected from what truly matters in life.
Personally, I know I would be happier with cutting my income in half if it meant decreasing my monthly expenses by an even larger percentage and connecting with my community.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.
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Publish date : 2024-08-02 13:15:00
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