{"entry":{"title":"Minimum Wage Is Higher Than You Think","date":"Tue, 03 Sep 2013 04:00:00 +0000","author":"Jordan Weissmann, The Atlantic","description":"
By the standards of other rich nations, the U.S. minimum wage, at $7.25 an hour, can look pretty measly<\/a>. Australia's minimum<\/a> for full-time adult employees works out<\/a> to almost $15, these days. France's is around $12. For almost a year now, American fast food workers have been going on strike to demand that kind of pay<\/a>. <\/p> But in some senses, those high wages abroad aren't quite as high as they sound. The reason: cost of living. Melbourne, where about a fifth of all Australians live, is the fourth most expensive city in the world according to<\/a> The Economist's<\/em> Intelligence Unit—about 36 percent pricier than New York. Making rent and putting food on the table in Paris, meanwhile, is about 28 percent costlier than in NYC. When it comes to everyday living in these countries, money doesn't stretch as far as in the states. <\/p> <\/p>","original_link":"http:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/business\/archive\/2013\/09\/how-americas-minimum-wage-em-really-em-stacks-up-globally\/279258\/"}}