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Comment by randomdata | Hacker News Reader

Why are costs so high in the US? As a Canadian, where things are said to be more expensive than in the US, $30K CAD (~$24K USD) is more than enough for a person without dependents to live quite comfortably.

The median income in the US is not far off $30K[1], so what do half the population do?

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_income_in_the_United_...

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Well you math is not very accurate when it comes to fees. So even without college. A car would cost 8k, rent would be around 6k, health care would be 2.4k, food at 250 a month is 2.7k. That alone is 20k. This doesn't include entertainment expenses let alone emergency like actually getting sick.

What math of mine are you referring to? The $30K figure comes from the link.

8k/ year for a car? You could pay one off in like 2/3rds of that if you buy something used.

No it's not.

No it's not what?

For what it is worth, the median income in Canada is also ~$30K[1].

[1] http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/f...

It's not more than enough for a person without dependents to live comfortably.

it's enough that you won't starve to death.

Are you, perhaps, confusing Toronto or Vancouver with Canada? I can see how $30K wouldn't get you far there. Where I live, in a rural part of the country, I don't know how I, without dependents, would even manage to spend $30K in a year if I tried. The large majority of Canadians do not live in those cities.

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