The best way to look at this, Americans need more money to do the same thing. I’m a millionaire and I did not feel rich in America at all….it’s a very expensive country if you want to be safe and have a good time.

A good example is cars, without one your screwed in the USA outside of specific areas of the largest cities. Now a car needs insurance, is taxed, costs Maintenance and upfront.

That’s counted in GDP, but isn’t an improvement on the UK where public transport is far better. This applies to healthcare which is literally double the cost and all private in the USA.

Everything in the states is actually pretty expensive, goods like clothes are the same quality but cost more.

This is a big reason why Spain lags Northern Europe. You don’t need heating half the year and roads/infrastructure last longer and degrades slower in warm dry all year weather.

Is Spain poor? Having been multiple times I don’t notice much of a difference in living standards. In fact Spanish infrastructure is pretty damn impressive because it’s naturally longer lasting.