As I understand your point, your trying to make it from the other side, as in "I negotiated this pay level so that I can afford to pay more for my house."

It isn't an unreasonable argument. The author of the piece glosses over the level of preparation/skill and automated vs non-automated manufacturing[1] in their clothing worker argument. And of course the cost of goods for a shirt that cost $10 in labor vs one that cost $1 in labor won't retail for the same amount.

[1] Jobs that train "on the job" (erroneously called "low skilled") typically have a wider workforce to choose from and thus get more workers competing for jobs and thus and lower wages.