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$18k is a fantastic sum in India. The top 20% of fresh computer science grads are lucky to get that much. I would have no trouble living on that much income (+adjusted for inflation) for the rest of my life if I lived in India.

That's more than the median income in Romania and only 15% or so less than the median (after tax) income in Berlin.

Come on. The per-capita GDP in Congo is somewhere between $700 and $800.

And they live about as well as you would expect on $800/yr. Sure you can get a house for $1000 but it doesn’t have running water or electricity. In countries that poor, basic infrastructure will cost you, at a real rate, more than it would in a rich country.

Maybe they would have the money to invest in infrastructure if everybody got 18k per year.