dave, trying to draw comparisons between wage levels in third...

dave, trying to draw comparisons between wage levels in third world countries and the developed world is not so simple. I don't think it it enough to compare minimum wages, the average wage would be more indicative. Being the staunch socialists we are, the extremes have been compressed so that most Australians are not too far from the average.
Then the cost of living has to be taken into account, we all know how cheap things are in many other countries, in fact there are few other countries where things are more expensive than here. In most cases, a low wage level still allows the middle income person to enjoy a living standard equal to, or better than here. We seem to have very high overheads to meet, being overly regulated as we are.
So what should we use as a benchmark in order to determine cheap and expensive in real terms rather than relatively.