[mickeymounds]

We measured the work hours/month a typical worker needs to cover a fixed basket (rent, utilities, groceries, transport, essentials). Highlights: U.S. 140.0h (11th of the first 42); winners include Bolivia 80h, Romania 84h. We also list OECD extremes (e.g., Mexico 323.2h, Israel 288.8h) outside the main chart to keep it legible. Method: ICP 2021 price levels + OECD net pay. CSVs linked. Feedback on methods welcome.

[throwaway81523]

Having trouble here, the US is a big place and rents are affordable in some parts of it but ridiculous in others. Any idea of the hours/month for San Francisco?

[mickeymounds]

Here’s a quick SF cut (single renter, bare-bones basket):

Basket (monthly):

1-BR rent ≈ $3,515 (citywide avg)

Utilities (basic) ≈ $233

Groceries (minimum for one) ≈ $585

Transit pass (Muni) $86 — or $104 with BART-within-SF

Total: ≈ $4,350–$4,420/mo.

Hours to cover basics (price ÷ wage):

Using BLS mean gross pay ($48.15/hr for SF-Oakland MSA): ~90–92 hours. Net would be higher. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Using a net pay anchor (Numbeo avg take-home ≈ $7,057/mo ⇒ ~$40.7/hr): ~106–109 hours.

If you rent outside the center (~$2,712), the basket drops to ~$3,616 ⇒ ~75–92 hours (gross vs net). Numbeo

Want to spin a US cities edition? We can replicate this with a fixed basket (1-BR rent, basic utilities, minimum groceries, local monthly transit) and city-level wage anchors (BLS + net adjustments). Start with SF, NYC, LA, Seattle, Austin, Miami, Chicago, Boston, DC, Denver, and expand.