Prescription medications in other countries often cost far lower than in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescription_drug_prices_in_the....
A coke in India costs half the price as it does in the US.
I would say the lower standard of living in a particular country puts the country in a good vantage position to export more goods (or services). For eg:- A person from a developing world might be in a good position(financially) when he decides to return to his home country for good, even if he has saved what an American would call "not much".
Now, I think true globalization which means (tariff free import and export of all goods including groceries) might eventually solve this problem. But before that happens- that might eventually mean a hard life for people currently living in the developed world.