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Originally Posted by Maru
The Marina is the one of the better parts of Baltimore. It's part of the main town but my husband worked some streets away from there. University of Maryland and John Hopkins are located there as well, so it's not all bad a bad area. The arts and theater district there are a major source of the city's culture. I will say that about MD, they focus a lot on education and the arts. I like that there are so many older buildings there and unique architecture than other places.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. I want to say when I worked my first job at that rate full time (40 hrs) many years back my total between the checks was about $700/mo after taxes (w/o health ins). Some states are higher and there's a push here to raise federal. I think the goal is ultimately to raise it to $12-15. At least it would be much closer to a living wage. Maryland's minimum wage is $8.75 per hour now.
Japan's cost of living is similar to UK because of island living. Certain foods, basic things are more expensive since it has to be imported in. My friend's apt in Osaka used to be not much bigger than a walk-in closet...
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It is John Hopkins he works at, I just couldn’t remember the name (I know its famous in America!)
When the pound is stable, our minimum wage is twice that of yours but like you say, things are more expensive, especially real estate. Rents in London are upwards of a £thousand a month and that’s in the poorer boroughs. You can treble that for the same accommodation in a more upmarket area. Even two salaries on a minimum wage is going to struggle and will almost certainly not qualify for a mortgage.
Food is still relatively cheap here, at least compared to some other European countries but public transport is very expensive and so is parking if you happen to drive.
We think of our medical treatment as free, though we do pay for it through a small portion of our salaries. Prescriptions are £8.40 no matter what the medication and one prescription usually gives you a months supply. People with long term medical issues like diabetes are exempt from paying for prescriptions and if you are unemployed and claiming benefits, over 60 or under 16 (18 if you are still in full time education) you don’t pay for your prescriptions.
What we save in medical costs, you save in affordable mortgages or rent.