Note 167 — Chapter VI · THE CHASM BETWEEN THE COST OF LIVING AND WAGES
Reading edition
The most recent figures as to what constitutes a minimum “health and decency budget” for a family of five have just been made public by the Labour Bureau, Inc., New York City. As a result of cost of living surveys conducted in 1821 in New York City and Philadelphia, the above bureau estimates the annual minimum standard necessary for a family of five as $2,233.88 in New York City, and $2,338.20 in Philadelphia.
The bureau’s estimate is based on the “quantity budget” used by the United States Bureau of Labour Statistics. They estimate that $688 a year is needed for food, $388 for clothing, $443 for rent, $83 for light and heat, $58 for household equipment and $650 for miscellaneous expenses.
“The family is allowed no expenditures for books and magazines,” says the bureau’s statement, “only one daily paper is included. The doctor’s bill cannot exceed $80 a year for the whole family, and the boy of 12 can get but eight hair-cuts a year. The husband is allowed one-half and the wife one-third of an overcoat each year. The only amusements permitted are an occasional cheap movie show. No allowance is made for a trip or vacation outside the city.”